Letters to a Young Activist

by Todd Gitlin

"Be original. See what happens." So Todd Gitlin advises the young mind burning to take action to right the wrongs of the world but also looking for bearings, understanding, direction, and practical examples.

In Letters to a Young Activist, Todd Gitlin looks back at his eventful life, recalling his experience as president of the formidable Students for a Democratic Society in the '60s, contemplating the spirit of activism, and arriving at some principles of action to guide the passion and energy of those wishing to do good. He considers the three complementary motives of duty, love, and adventure, and reflects on the changing nature of idealism and how righteous action requires realistic as well as idealistic thinking. And he looks forward to an uncertain future that is nevertheless full of possibility, a future where patriotism and intelligent skepticism are not mutually exclusive.

Gitlin invites the young activist to enter imaginatively into some of the dilemmas, moral and practical, of being a modern citizen--the dilemmas that affect not only the problems of what to think but also the problems of what to love and how to live.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction

192 pages, Hardcover

First published April 9, 2003

About the author

Todd Gitlin was an American writer, sociologist, communications scholar, novelist, poet, and not very private intellectual. He was professor of journalism and sociology at Columbia University.

Reviews

[Doni]

Rather read Rilke.

[Thomas]

An important book that I'm glad I read. Gitlin at once addresses the revolutionary impulse while giving important lessons from his activism in the 60s. He raises important questions about the usefulness of violence and non violence.

I especially liked his inclusion of the difference between an ethic of ultimate ends (where you are good because your vision is good and those who get in your way are bad, absolving you from the adverse effects that may come from your actions in a democratic society) and an ethic of responsibility (your actions are good because the foreseeable outcome is good, and you take responsibility for the effects of your actions). The purity of your intentions is immaterial if your actions result in undue harm, as he said the more violent wing of the 60s movements did when it helped usher in an age of conservative dominance in Washington. I think this is an oversimplification but I like the ethic of responsibility framework -- originally Max Weber's -- as it highlights the important of pragmatism and contextual thinking in civil disobedience.

Despite his insistence that he was just well seasoned and not a defender of the status quo, I was not a fan of his tone, both in his condemnation of much of the pro-Palestinian movement (some of which understandable) and his vehement anti-violence position. It is still something I'm grappling with and perhaps I too will move towards his side as I age, but right now I do not.

[Ivey]

Had to dnf after saying there’s right on both sides in the Palestine/israel “conflict” and that many Israelis want peace. I know this book is outdated but yeah not here for that

[Diana]

This book was okay. I was really glad to finish it. He brought up interesting and provoking themes about activism and what it meant and where it should be going, but somehow his writing style irked me. There was almost too many sarcastic moments that you started to not understand if he was being sarcastic or not. The end really ties it all up--as it should!

Like I said, I'm glad I read it. Besides raising my tolerance for writing styles that I'm not used to reading, I did learn a lot from his book.

[Faith Reidenbach]

A little heavy on reminiscences about the 1960s, but Gitlin gives wonderful guidance, and not just to 20-year-olds. It's worth the price of admission just to read his advice about balancing outsiders (usually younger, moralistic, and advocates of civil disobedience) and insiders (usually older, deal-makers, and lovers of order).

This book is part of the series "The Art of Mentoring," based on Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet.

[Joshua Nomen-Mutatio]

Read this for a Political and Social Activism course. I remember it eliciting a lot of argument about the use of physical violence and destruction in pursuing one's political goals. That class made me angry at a lot things, both "the system" and "social activists" respectively.

[Rick]

I thought it was good. Young people who care about change should read books like this, which is more balanced than I thought it would be.

[Jess Webb]

Lots of opinions, not much science

[Natanya Epstein]

This book reminded me that all authentic thinking, writing, and speech can be thought provoking.