The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America by David Hajdu

I sort of lied about reading a comic book next.
The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America by David Hajdu tells the story of the rise and change of the comic-book industry in the post-war years, along with the history of attempts to blame social ills on comic books, climaxing with Frederick Wertham, the Kefauver commission, and Bill Gaines's ill-fated attempt to stave off the disaster.
Hadju's work rests on an impressive depth and breadth of research, including primary interviews with comics writers and artists as well as consumers and boycotters.
I found myself skimming the details of the growing legal threats, knowing they were to inevitably lead to a collapse of the industry.
My interest was in the stories of the early days of creators who were to become legendary: Eisner, Kirby, Simon, Lee, Wally Wood, and more.
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Hajdu also wrote Positively 4th Street, which is a fascinating and unique view of Bob Dylan and Joan Baez from early days to the paired motorcycle accidents of Richard Farina and Dylan (a central thesis of that work is that Dylan stole much of his persona from Farina; one comes away from the reading with the distinct impression Hajdu believes Dylan faked his accident, in imitation of Farina's fatal crash, as a way of withdrawing from a limelight he'd so aggressively pursued). Positively 4th Street helped me understand the ambitious drive of many top-level performers. The Ten-Cent Plague documents a broader social impact, but will connect with a narrower audience.