1998
First Published
3.72
Average Rating
384
Number of Pages
From Thomas Jefferson to William Jefferson Clinton, Scorpion Tongues is a popular history of gossip in American politics. Complete with wickedly delightful anecdotes of major and minor politicians and entertainers over the last 200 years, Gail Collins examines the evolving relationship between politicians and the press and the blurring of the lines between politicians and celebrities. Supported by extensive research and written with an entertaining flair, she speculates on how gossip reflects the current moral compass of the time, noting how a rumor, like an unpredictable summer tornado, can flatten one reputation while a similar story passes over another with hardly a rustle. "Hilariously readable" ( The Economist ), Scorpion Tongues offers sinful scandals and mild hearsay for every taste.
Avg Rating
3.72
Number of Ratings
128
5 STARS
20%
4 STARS
42%
3 STARS
30%
2 STARS
8%
1 STARS
1%
goodreads
Author
Gail Collins
Author · 6 books
Gail Collins was the Editorial Page Editor of The New York Times from 2001 to January 1, 2007. She was the first woman Editorial Page Editor at the Times. Born as Gail Gleason, Collins has a degree in journalism from Marquette University and an M.A. in government from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Beyond her work as a journalist, Collins has published several books; Scorpion Tongues: Gossip, Celebrity and American Politics, America's Woman: Four Hundred Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines, and The Millennium Book which she co-authored with her husband Dan Collins. She was also a journalism instructor at Southern Connecticut State University. She is married to Dan Collins of CBS.
