The leader of the student uprising of 1968 and founding member of the notorious Weather Underground tells his story--for the first time
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Jun 11, 2011
Richard
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This is the most exciting autobiography I have ever read, and a tremendous lesson in later twentieth century American history. About the Columbia University student takeover by the Weather Underground in the sixties. The author was a revolutionary who believed in violence, at one time, as the response to the Vietnam War and imperialism, but he changed his mind. He realized that he could be killed, and that violence would alienate too many people. The goal of SDS and, initially, the Weather Unde
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Jan 01, 2011
Betsy
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When: Summer 2010
Why I read it: Mark Rudd was a student at Columbia College in New York City, participating in the big student strike in spring 1968. I started Barnard College, Columbia's sister school, in fall 1968. He was a true hero for many students. Then I moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1980. And it turned out that Mark had moved to Albuerque in 1979. Our paths have crossed too closely.
Format: Hardbook, which my sister, Nancy, bought at an event in Eugene, OR, and it is aut More...
Why I read it: Mark Rudd was a student at Columbia College in New York City, participating in the big student strike in spring 1968. I started Barnard College, Columbia's sister school, in fall 1968. He was a true hero for many students. Then I moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1980. And it turned out that Mark had moved to Albuerque in 1979. Our paths have crossed too closely.
Format: Hardbook, which my sister, Nancy, bought at an event in Eugene, OR, and it is aut More...
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Jul 06, 2009
Ciara
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what a totally weird book. i have never been big on mark rudd. i have read a lot about SDS (i really recommended kirkpatrick sales's book on the subject for a thorough history & understanding the politics of the group & what broke it apart) & weatherman, including all of the various autobiographies of former weatherpeople that have been published in the last ten years or so. even back when i was reading my dad's old history books about the 60s student movements when i was like 13, mark rudd alwa
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Jul 30, 2011
Mark Rudd's autobiography on his role in the student strikes at Columbia University, and his time in SDS and the Weather Underground, is both an excellent companion to Bill Ayers' book (Fugitive Days, a book that I also would highly, highly recommend reading), and an excellent stand alone read for anyone interested in sixties counterculture. Rudd's story of his time underground is fascinating. I, for one, did not realize that he broke with Weather Underground rather early on while he was a fug
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May 03, 2009
Nancy
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Earlier this week my sister sent me an email about a reading by Mark Rudd at a bookstore with walking distance of where I was that day. I've been interested in the thinking of 60's radicals for some years so I went. It was well worth the walk. Rudd is an interesting speaker. The book was good too.
I've read Fugitive Days by Bill Ayres, Flying Close to the Sun: My Life and Times As a Weatherman by Cathy Wilkerson and Family Circle about Kathy Boudin. I came away from these books feeli More...
I've read Fugitive Days by Bill Ayres, Flying Close to the Sun: My Life and Times As a Weatherman by Cathy Wilkerson and Family Circle about Kathy Boudin. I came away from these books feeli More...
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Jul 18, 2009
Bap
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Mark Rudd came up to Oneonta State in the winter of 1969. I was one of about 100 that on short notice crammed into the Morris Hall lounge to hear him speak. He wore work boots, jeans and a flannel shirt. He spoke (shouted) for about 40 minutes, a talk full of profanity and marxist jargon. He postured himself as hard core SDS, the vanguard of the revolution. I remember then thinking the guy was a phony, play-acting what he thought a revolutionary should sound like.
This book rein More...
This book rein More...
Nov 21, 2011
Jesse
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Some great reflection, but also a few points that left me uneasy--especially with regard to the conflict between the new left and feminism (there are some personal jabs against particular feminists that are unnecessary, even as Rudd is generally pretty conscious of having grown up with misogyny and mistreated women in his life and in the movement). Overall, this confirms what I suspected about the futile, macho, cultish fundamentalism of Weatherman and other "urban guerrilla" organizat
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Nov 14, 2009
Justin
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I have to take issue with other reviews I've read here criticizing Rudd for being sexist and self-aggrandizing, because I found this book remarkably balanced in its view of what happened in Rudd's life, and in the time period he lived through. The only other book I've read on the Weather Underground, Outlaws in America, was about as unbalanced and gushing as it got in its knee-jerk glorification of those involved with the Underground, only briefly hinting at the hypocrisies of the movement. Ru
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Aug 18, 2009
John
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Mark Rudd recalls a lot of detail about his activities, and does a good job of explaining relationships, his feelings, etc. His considerable effort in maintaining his stance on the war must have cost him dearly in time he could otherwise have spent furthering his career, whatever that might have turned out to be had he not chosen the path he followed. I find it interesting that he thinks he had so much influence on what Presidents Johnson and Nixon did in the war effort.
Feb 16, 2011
Aaron
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This book has reawakened my hope for peace. After finishing this book I wanted to incite a riot. Mark Rudd is genius mixed with revolutionary discipline. He dedicates every ounce of energy to the movement of the 60's early 70's to stop the Vietnam War. After he went underground with his fellow weathermen, objectives became obscured & violence was reasoned as necessary. Dark, tragic, beautiful, educational, hilarious at times, read it! I dare you.
May 03, 2009
José-antonio
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I've admired Mark Rudd for over 20 years when I first learned about the Columbia University take over in 1968. I've often wondered what took this young person down the road to violence and armed struggle. Now, at last, we have his own account of the passion that lead him to organize against the Vietnam war and the juvenile confusion that turned him into a terrorist. I'm glad this book is out (and it helps that he signed my copy last week!)
May 22, 2011
Lauren
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Amazing memoir of The Weathermen and the underground life of activists in the 1960s-70s. I was extremely informative, but could have read better as a memoir. I still suggest it.
Apr 23, 2011
karen
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a well-written and thoughtful (especially the epilogue) narrative of rudd's experience in both SDS and the weather underground. i'll take up the same argument that others have that rudd seems to think a bit highly of himself, claiming at one point that he founded the weather underground. that seems a bit unlikely, as other reading will tell you that it was founded by a very small group of people and not one person such as rudd. there were definitely moments where i found myself rolling my eye
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Oct 15, 2009
Brent
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Fascinating read -- I still disagree with him (he literally took credit for causing U.S. to back out of Vietnam war) and his radical thoughts. I guess I'm too conservative.
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