Rebel: A Personal History of the 1960s [Paperback]

TOM HAYDEN (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Red Hen Press; 1St Edition edition (April 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1888996668
• ISBN-13: 978-1888996661
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,660,923 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating Biography and History from an American Hero., January 18, 2005

By 

David Jacks (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rebel: A Personal History of the 1960s (Paperback)

Of all the many books and films that have attempted to probe the zeitgeist of the 1960's and particularly the heady progressive activism of that very special era in our American experience, few can approach this captivating, personal narrative from Tom Hayden. Hayden, who for over forty years has consistently and dependably been in the vanguard of our nation's struggles for civil rights and social, economic and environmental justice, now finally tells his story. It is a great story. And more than anything, it is an American story.

Don't be surprised if you find yourself immediately bonding with the author and willingly traveling back in time with him to his days as one of the founders of the Students for a Democratic Society, to his period as a Freedom Rider in the Deep South, to his inspiring work on the now famous Port Huron Statement, to his activism for Civil Rights in Newark, to his leadership in the protests in 1968 at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and of course, to his historical role in the national movement to end the war in Vietnam.

Typical of Hayden and the man that he is, he tells his story in the most straightforward manner and with humility. There is also pain in these pages as we witness first hand how a society blinded in cultural and political intransigence can and will strike out with cruelty and with all its vested power at those who dare question or challenge the ruling class' authority and privilege attempting to "set an example" and most of all, to dampen hope and spirit. Hayden gracefully spotlights and trumpets those who refused to give up, give in or ever sell out even as defeat seemed to swallow them whole.

Journey with a young Tom Hayden clandestinely to Vietnam where he participates in successfully negotiating the release of American soldiers held as prisoners there while outfoxing the U.S. government to do so at the risk of his own life. Trek back to a white-run Newark in the 1960's where corruption reigned at the highest levels of the city just as the proud stirrings of its black majority there rose against it. Learn of Hayden's heartbreaking last days with Robert Kennedy in 1968 and of his isolation and near imprisonment for his dogged activism against the government's idiotic and failed war in Vietnam.

This is a book that has been a long time in coming. Best of all, it's Tom Hayden with his sharp intellect and respected communication skills telling the story as only he could.

1 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Badly Written Book, August 7, 2006

By 

Alvaro R. Sanchez (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rebel: A Personal History of the 1960s (Paperback)

I had some interest in the Students for a Democratic Society and the 1960s anti-Vietnam War movement so with Hayden being such a core part of that I decided to read this book. It is, without a doubt in my mind, the single worst book I've ever read. Hayden's ideas are simplistic and his writing style is atrocious. Considering the subject, this could have been a great book encompassing the '68 DNC protests, Vietnam, and the civil rights movement. Instead, Hayden shows how he was in fact in over his head and his lack of knowledge in the subjects he speaks about.