Reflection

In class, someone (sorry... I forget the specific individual) made an important distinction for me. Inside Out is a memoir of the blacklist. Bernstein says it straight up on the cover of the book. I had expected this to be a memoir about Bernstein. I was waiting to hear anecdotes about his family, his children, his recollection of certain events, and maybe a sprinkling of the blacklist here and there. Instead, Bernstein provided a book all about the blacklist and the individuals who suffered from its impact, with a sprinkling of his personal life. The blacklist is Bernstein's protagonist while Bernstein himself is only a secondary character.

Finishing the book was much easier than starting it with this realization. I stopped reading with the vain hope that Bernstein would suddenly emerge with a plot line and stories about his family and raising his children. Instead, I read to see how Bernstein coped and the individuals that were affected by such an epidemic. One thing I do wish is that I understood more of his references. I am positive that the individuals to whom he refers are quite significant and at the time were a huge part of the scandal that emerged.

In all, I have enjoyed Bernstein's account of the blacklist (and on occasion his own personal relics). I ultimately have respect for Bernstein for keeping the facts as dry as possible. If he let this memoir drip with emotion (as I expected it would be) it wouldn't have the same value.