The Portland Red Guide: Sites & Stories of Our Radical Past [Paperback]

Michael Munk (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2007

A historical guidebook of social dissent, Michael Munk’s The Portland Red Guide describes local radicals, their organizations, and their activities in relation to physical sites in the Rose City. With the aid of maps and historical photos, Munk’s stories are those that history books often exclude. The historical listings expand readers’ perspectives of the unique city and its radical past. The Portland Red Guide is a testament to Portland’s rich history of working-class people and organizations that stood against repression and injustice. It honors those who insisted on pursuing a better justification for their lives rather than the quest for material wealth, and who dedicated themselves to offering alternative visions of how to organize society.

The Portland Red Guide uses maps to give readers a walking tour of the city as well as to illustrate sites such as the house where Woody Guthrie wrote his Columbia River songs; the office of the Red Squad (the only memorial to John Reed); the home of early feminist Dr. Marie Equi; and the downtown site of Portland’s first Afro-American League protest in 1898. This new edition includes up-to-date information about Portland’s most contemporary radicals and suggests routes to help readers walk in the shadows of dissidents, radicals, and revolutionaries. These stories challenge mainstream culture and testify that many in Portland were, and still are, motivated to improve the condition of the world rather than their personal status in it.
 

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for the first edition of The Portland Red Guide: Sites & Stories of our Radical Past:

"A roller-coaster ride through Portland’s radical past. Who knew that being on the losing side of just about everything could be so much fun?" — Phil Stanford, Portland Tribune columnist, author of Portland Confidential

"Michael Munk did a terrific job of researching local leftist and labor struggles usually ignored by conventional historians and the commercial media." — Gene Klare, columnist, Northwest Labor Press. Former reporter, pre-strike The Oregonian and the Portland Reporter

"Whoop! Whoop! I’m impressed by how many names from Portland’s past have not made it into our official histories and public memorials. Some were good friends of mine. Local history is too often overlooked." — Bud Clark, fomer Mayor of Portland, 1985–1992

 

"Michael Munk is the Lewis and Clark of Portland’s radical past, leading his readers on a voyage of discovery through a long-lost and wonderfully evocative historical terrain. I only wish the Red Guide had been around in the days when I was one of those Portland radicals he writes about with such knowledge (and affection)." — Maurice Isserman, author of If I Had a Hammer: the Death of the Old Left and the Birth of the New Left

 

"What fun to learn all the ordinary places have a not-so-ordinary history. Some will call The Portland Red Guide subversive, others will welcome it as the sweet breeze of revelation, but all will have to admit it adds a fascinating new layer to appreciating Portland. Even those Portlanders who think they know their city’s past will likely find themselves shocked at the wealth of radical Portland history related in this volume. One hopes it becomes as ubiquitous as cell phones in Portland pedestrians’ hands." — Sandy Polishuk, author of Sticking to the Union: An Oral History of the Life and Times of Julia Ruuttila

 

"Going to these addresses can bring to mind what has gone before and perhaps, encourage more resistance today. I had no idea so much has happened in Portland. And reading the names of people who struggled and whom I worked with brought up lots of memories." — Sandra Ford, former wife of Black Panther Party leader Kent Ford

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Michael Munk was born in Prague in 1934. He graduated from Reed College and the University of Oregon, and received a Ph.D. in politics from New York University in 1974. Munk taught political science for twenty-five years at SUNY, Roosevelt, and Rutgers University. Since then, he has researched local political history and has been published in the Oregon Historical Quarterly, the Pacific Northwest Quarterly, and Science & Society. His column, “Our Radical Past,” was a monthly feature in the Portland Alliance for several years. Most recently, his article “John Reed: Political Provocateur” appeared in Portland Monthly, and “McCarthyism Laid to Rest?” was published in Reed Magazine. He recently spoke at the Northwest Labor History Association Conference and presented “The Experience and Legacy of McCarthyism in Oregon” at McMenamins, Edgefield.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 253 pages
• Publisher: Ooligan Press; First Edition edition (June 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932010157
• ISBN-13: 978-1932010152
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 4.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,983,159 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Interesting Look At Portland Oregon, August 8, 2010

By 

Chris Thomas (Monmouth, OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Portland Red Guide: Sites & Stories of Our Radical Past (Paperback)

I must say outright that I've never been a lover of historical reading. I often find myself falling asleep with each turn of the page. To my surprise, this was not the case with The Portland Red Guide. Sure it had its dull moments, but overall I would say the, because it presents such an interesting side of Portland, Oregon that is not often discussed, The Portland Red Guide held my attention from start to finish. In particular, I like that author Michael Munk includes exact street addresses of the locations of socialist, communist, and protest activity in Portland. Readers are able to find the buildings and link them directly to the historical accounts in the book--I find this the most endearing quality of the book; one that certainly peaked my interest. I've got to hand it to Munk, though: the amount of research it surely took to compile such an extensive account of Portland history is seriously impressive. Definitely a recommended reading for any Portland resident, or simply lovers of urban history.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Your Typical History Book, July 22, 2010

By 

susan e. wiget "Susan E. Wigget" (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Portland Red Guide: Sites & Stories of Our Radical Past (Paperback)

The Portland Red Guide covers much of Portland's radical past, particularly that of Socialists, Communists, and working class people who spoke truth to power. It also describes situations in which those in power, whether politicians or police, oppressed people they find threatening. The book is divided into different time periods, from the nineteenth century to the present. It includes Wobblies, doctors who performed abortions, black people harassed by racist cops, Communists and sympathizers attacked by McCarthyism, and so much more.

I would have liked to have seen more on the women's movement, and neither the Freedom Socialist Party nor its feminist branch Radical Women is ever mentioned. For that matter, Radical Women's headquarters, The Bread and Roses Center on Killingsworth Street, isn't included , nor is In Other Words: Women's Books and Resources. (The Latin root for radical is "going to the root," not "extreme.") Yet overall, this is a fascinating and informative book about a side of Portland often overlooked in mainstream history books.

The book includes not only historical and biographical information, but also site listings with exact street addresses and maps, so the reader can take walks around Portland and see locations mentioned in the book. As a Portlander, I found it exciting to read about places I've seen or visited numerous times, and to anticipate looking for significant places mentioned in the Red Guide. Both history book and guide book, the Portland Red Guide will have a second, updated edition soon from Ooligan Press.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Portland Red Guide, March 14, 2010

By 

Ayla Gilbert-Walrath "ayla" (Portland, Or) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Portland Red Guide: Sites & Stories of Our Radical Past (Paperback)

The Portland Red Guide tells you everything you ever wanted to know and more about the secret history of Portland. I found out about the history of all my favorite neighborhoods in Portland. Driving or walking through the streets of my home town, I've never thought about how these streets were named, but the Portland Red Guide has the answers. It was a fascinating, fun, and educational read. I would recommend The Portland Red Guide to anyone who wants to know a little more about their favorite city. I'm generally not a huge fan of historical books, but this one kept me engaged and interested the whole way through.