Fellow Travelers

By: Thomas Mallon

Narrated by: Christian Barillas

NOW A SHOWTIME LIMITED SERIES STARRING MATT BOMER, JONATHAN BAILEY, AND ALLISON WILLIAMS

• A searing historical novel set in 1950s Washington, D.C.—a world of dominated by personalities like Nixon, Lyndon Johnson, and Joe McCarthy—and infused with political drama, unexpected humor, and heartbreak.

• From the acclaimed author of Watergate and Up With the Sun

In a world of bare-knuckled ideology and secret dossiers, Timothy Laughlin, a recent college graduate and devout Catholic, is eager to join the crusade against Communism. An encounter with a handsome State Department official, Hawkins Fuller, leads to Tim's first job and, after Fuller's advances, his first love affair. As McCarthy mounts a desperate bid for power and internal investigations focus on “sexual subversives” in the government, Tim and Fuller find it ever more dangerous to navigate their double lives while moving between the diplomatic world of Foggy Bottom and NATO's front line in Europe.

©2007 Thomas Mallon (P)2023 Dreamscape Media

Gay Life in Federal Service

I loved the book!!! It gave me a great idea of what it was like to be gay in the 1950s and the need to hide it from your family, employer, and the government. The book also illustrated the government's overall treatment of the LGBTQ community and that community is used as a pawn in politics. Additionally, the book tells a beautiful story of hopes, dreams, temptation, love and loss between two gay men. It is an incredibly moving story; one that resonates in my soul. Very well done.

The sadness of it all.

This gave me a glimpse of the LGBTQIA history and how far life has progress

A very well told story

This is a long story time ever at the moment. It was well. I highly recommend.

Well done!

I grew up in Alexandria, Virginia, in the 50’s. So much of life revolved around the political goings on and everyday actions of DC and the surrounding bedroom communities. I remember the Lavender Scare. Having to hide takes its toll.

What a jerk

If karma exists I hope it doesn't miss Hawk. Poor Tim is all he got in the end!

Was everyone repressed?

The book was good, the story was worth listening. But geesh the 50's seem so sad and depressing. It seems no one was allowed to be happy. My favorite character was Tim's sister because she was the most accepting. At times i found myself yelling at Tim to stop trying so hard and that he deserves better than Hawk. Hawk seems like a guy who's fun for an hour but Tim you would settle down with. Overall, good book but I finished feeling sad.

Tim and Hawkins

I loved the miniseries and of course, had to read the book.

There are huge differences between the show and the book, but overall the book was good.

My heart breaks for Tim and Hawk because they belonged together.

The story was absolutely beautiful.

The emotions that overcame me reading this book. I loved the story, I loved the characters. I have so much love for the narrator.

Contrived

You finish the book with profound disrespect for the main characters. Hawkins Fuller is a sociopathic predator and the personification of selfishness. Timothy Loughlin is a perpetual victim with no self-esteem or sense of self. These characters are a poor representation of the LGBTQ population. The historical backdrop was distracting and a real push in how these characters would function in that reality.

Excellent snapshot of DC during McCarthyism

Wow! This book is wonderful and heartbreaking and strangely appropriate given the shenanigans going on in the current political climate. This has been in my TBR list for ages but the new Showtime production with Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey bumped it up the list. The narrator’s interpretation of some of the female characters (especially the Southerners) was a little rough, but otherwise the performance was good.