Abbie Hoffman: American Rebel [Hardcover]

Marty Jezer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1992

In this sympathetic history of a maligned decade, Marty Jezer, a fellow antiwar activist, details Abbie Hoffman's humor, manic energy, depressive spells, political skills, & above all, his incurable & still contagious optimism. He presents a thoughtful, solidly researched biography of the wildly creative & iconoclastic Yippie, portraying Hoffman as a fresh force in American political culture. Jezer surveys in detail the politics, philosophies, & struggles of the antiwar movement. 'A solid account of the life of an inventive, destructive luftmensch, & a valuable cautionary tale for both the left & right.'

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This critical, comprehensive biography of the late radical Abbie Hoffman surveys in detail the politics, philosophies and struggles of the antiwar movement and, to a lesser extent, civil rights, feminism and environmentalism. Even though Jezer ( The Dark Ages: Life in the United States, 1945-1960 ) clearly respects Hoffman's ability to mobilize dissenters, he does not shirk from challenging Hoffman's attention-getting tactics, often perceived as clownish or macho. Jezer contends that the Jewish Hoffman's upbringing in conservative, largely non-Jewish, working-class Worcester, Mass., taught him to accept people of varied backgrounds and contributed to his energetic support of civil rights. His youth also led him to adopt a "tough hood" stance that he never abandoned, and that did not allow him to fully practice nonviolence. Hoffman's formative education in radicalism at Brandeis and Berkeley, his support of antiwar political candidates and his founding of the politicized Yippie movement on Manhattan's Lower East Side are discussed. Anecdotal accounts of demonstrations are here in abundance; much attention is given to "guerrilla theater," police brutality and Hoffman's problems with the law on a cocaine-dealing charge. Little is made of his life outside the political arena, but the manic depression that led him to commit suicide in 1989, at age 53, is shown to have been an ever-present, worsening condition. Photos.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Do not be misled by the fact that this book was published by a university press. Jezer's biography offers a fascinating and eminently readable study of one of the most controversial and emblematic symbols of the 1960s. Jezer, himself a veteran of pacifist movements against the Vietnam War, traces Hoffman's evolution from Brandeis beatnik to Yippie leader and spokesperson for the Woodstock nation. As Jezer shows, Hoffman remained active around environmental and social justice issues during the narcissistic 1970s and the Reaganite 1980s. This warts-and-all portrait of a unique rabble-rouser is surprisingly witty, absorbing, and even significant. Highly recommended for all collections.
- Kent Worcester, Social Science Research Council, New York
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 325 pages
• Publisher: Rutgers University Press; 1St Edition edition (August 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813518504
• ISBN-13: 978-0813518503
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,755,253 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Steal This Rebel, February 9, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Abbie Hoffman: American Rebel (Hardcover)

The book's great. A complete account of the life and times of one of the 1960's New Left's major characters.