Underground: My Life with SDS and the Weathermen [Hardcover]

Mark Rudd (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 24, 2009

In 1968, Mark Rudd led the legendary occupation of five buildings at Columbia University, a dramatic act of protest against the university's support for the Vietnam War and its institutional racism. The charismatic chairman of the Columbia chapter of Students for a Democratic Society—the largest radical student organization in the United States—Rudd went on to become a national symbol of student revolt, and co-founded the Weathermen faction of SDS, which helped organize the notorious Days of Rage in Chicago in 1969.

But Mark Rudd wanted revolution, seeking to end war, racism, and injustice by any means necessary—even violence. By the end of 1970, he was one of the FBI's Most Wanted—and after a string of nonlethal bombings, he went into hiding for more than seven years before turning himself in to great media fanfare.

In this gripping narrative, Rudd speaks out about this tumultuous period, the role he played in its crucial events, and its aftermath.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

With the war in Iraq provoking memories of Vietnam, Rudd gave up a 25-year silence on his role in the radical student movement of the 1960s when he lead the Weathermen. The group grew out of the Student for Democratic Society behind massive anti-war and social-justice protests at Columbia University. Rudd recalls his personal journey from idealistic freshman to student radical and the escalating violence that led to the riot during the 1969 Democratic party convention in Chicago and the bombing of a townhouse in Greenwich Village. Rudd spent seven years, from 1970 until 1977, living underground as a federal fugitive before turning himself in. Rudd writes from the perspective of a middle-aged teacher living in New Mexico, still concerned about social justice and heartened by the new administration and growing involvement of young people in politics and civic engagement. He admits shame and guilt about some of the excesses and violence of the radical 1960s, but maintains an enduring pride in the passion and idealism of the time. An engrossing look back at a turbulent time by an iconic figure. --Vanessa Bush

Review

“An important contribution to a growing collection of narratives from former participants in the revolutionary 1960s’ underground....deeply disturbing, though illuminating, in its unemotional matter-of-factness.” (truthdig )

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow (March 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061472751
• ISBN-13: 978-0061472756
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #708,428 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent history of life "Underground", April 26, 2009

By 

Carl Anderson (Tacoma, WA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Underground: My Life with SDS and the Weathermen (Hardcover)

I found it hard to put the book down. It is fast paced, intensely personal, funny, and a little depressing. The author doesn't try to romanticize his life as a fugitive. He does give an honest account of his story; the story of the 1968 Columbia strike, the disintegration of Students for a Democratic Society, and the Weather Underground. If you have an interest in what happened to the Vietnam anti-war movement and the radicalization of the 60s, then I would give this a high recommendation. The book is well-written and doesn't dwell in a maze of acronyms of the political movements of the 60s. It ends on a positive note with the 40th reunion of the Columbia strike where the issues of the Black students at Columbia came out to a public setting for the first time.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Read, April 17, 2009

By 

Sally Denton - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Underground: My Life with SDS and the Weathermen (Hardcover)

Eloquent, thoughtful, honest, and unflinching. What might have been either a polemic or apologia is instead a thoroughly engaging narrative about an unforgettable moment in American history. Mark Rudd is authentic and self-effacing. What might have been a heavy lift in less capable hands is an exciting and thought-provoking tale of ideology and courage, naivete and grandiosity, hubris and humility, patriotism and crime. Above all it is a poignant story of what America was and what it became.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of the Lot, May 4, 2009

By 

Nancy Dean Nichols (Deadwood, Oregon) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Underground: My Life with SDS and the Weathermen (Hardcover)

This is the best insider Weatherman book I've read so far. I've read most of them as they came out, mainly to try to get some insight into what the heck happened. I was on the edge of this movement and essentially turned my back on anything political as it got more violent, feeling everyone involved was tainted. This is the first one that spoke to that taint. Mark Rudd's voice has a ring of truth and, unlike some of the authors, presents a hopeful future and does not come across as self serving.