At the First International Conference on the American Theatre at the University of Málaga, Spain in May 2000, one of the most worthwhile of the many fine papers was the plenary paper by Brenda Murphy, “Tennessee Williams's Metaphors of McCarthyism.” An outtake, as it were, from her book on the plays and films written during the McCarthy era in response to the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings, the paper was a close analysis of Tennessee Williams's Camino Real (a notable failure in the American theatre), the critical response to it, William's own feelings and political views, and the political situation in America at the time. She also drew many fascinating parallels between the play and the well-known anti-fascist film, Casablanca. Like many others, I was eager to read the book.