Witness

By: Whittaker Chambers

Narrated by: John MacDonald

Length: 30 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

First published in 1952, Witness came on the heals of America's trial of the century, in which Whittaker Chambers accused Alger Hiss, a full-standing member of the political establishment, of spying for the Soviet Union.

In this penetrating philosophical memoir, Chambers recounts the famous case as well as his own experiences as a Communist agent in the United States, his later renunciation of communism, and his conversion to Christianity. Chambers' worldview - "man without mysticism is a monster" - helped to make political conservatism a national force. Witness packs the emotional wallop and the literary power of a classic Russian novel and has gained Chambers recognition by critics on both sides of the spectrum as a truly gifted writer.

©1952 Whittaker Chambers (P)2007 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"One of the few indispensable autobiographies ever written by an American - and one of the best written too.... It deserves to be recognized as a first class achievement." ( New Centurion)
"Confession, history, potboiler - by a man who writes like the literary giant we would know him as, had not Communism got him first." ( Christopher Caldwell, National Review, 100 Best Non-Fiction Books of the Century)
"This many-dimensioned apologia, which is also a spy drama, a Quaker testament, and a spiritual autobiography, telescopes the major political and religious conflicts of the century." ( Booklist)

Compelling!

If you could sum up Witness in three words, what would they be?

Compelling, religious, political.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Whittaker Chambers, the author, is a very complicated man. We hear how his basic principles lead him first to become a Communist, then to reject it, and later to become a Quaker.

What about John MacDonald’s performance did you like?

I liked the reading. However, there were times when I heard faint noises in the background and this was a bit distracting.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me want to continue listening when I should be doing something else. This was even in the part when the testimony of Alger Hiss repeated whose "to the best of my recollection" statements were tedious and maddening. I learned of the importance of Richard Nixon and Henry Luce. I wanted to check up on these men in addition to other information on Whittaker Chambers.

Outstanding!!

This should be required reading for every student of history, politics, international relations, government, etc!!

Excellent book

An amazing book I had always heard about the Hiss case. But this was an extremely well written, heartfelt, intellectual , and spiritual account, which fully confirmed my suspicion that Hiss was a liar.

History in literature

This is a fantastic book. I had long wanted to read it but was daunted by its length. However, the author engages you early in his personal story and as the historical events unfold, reveals his inner thoughts. Well worth reading for both the history of it and also the pure literature of it.

Amazing Biography

best book that I have heard; story is incredible + applies to where we are today

A Severely Merciful Story

"Witness" reveals to sober men that humanity is drunk. But the drunkards, of course, still disagree.
And the FBI is definitely not what it used to be.

A must listen

Compelling person, sublime writing, good narration. This is a must listen of an extraordinary life of an ordinary man.

Everyone should get this!

Listened to this book multiple times. Inspiring human character extremely well written, and well read.

A spiritual and political American classic

Surely one of the all-time classic American autobiographies, covering a pivotal chapter in American history.

Johnny Cash used to sing a song, written by Shel Silverstein, that told the story about what happened when a boy was named Sue. This book could be regarded as the story about what happened when a boy was named Vivian.

Fascinating look is US in 1930s

Any additional comments?

I read and recommend unabridged books 99% of the time. This is the exception. The core of this book is the fascinating story of communism in the American government in the 1930s and its revelation in the 1940s. In the 1930s it was chic for American intellectuals to be socialists or even communists. They were pro Soviet Union and pro Stalin. By the end of the decade, many intellectuals were falling away from this infatuation. I knew this before I read the book. What I did not know was how easily communists penetrated into positions in the US government, sometimes at somewhat high levels. This story of how Chambers helped convict the spy Alger Hiss is really interesting.

But this is an autobiography so there is a lot about growing up, appropriate to such a book, but not interesting to the core story. Additionally when Chambers was a spy we get every detail of every relationship, which historically is correct but not really necessary for the reader. Thus a good abridgment, if one exists, would be best.

BUT THE HIGHLIGHT of the book is the preface written by Chambers as a letter to his children. It is a classic essay. There are two competing points of view in the twentieth century: one puts man at the top of everything and the other puts God there. Chambers is a witness not just in a trial but he says he is a witness to the latter world view.