Jan Arnold
Oakland, California

Dare To Struggle, Dare To Honestly Sum-Up

Max Elbaum has written an amazing book about the '1968 generation.' He recaptures the national and international events that surrounded us, making the developments of American radicalism of the 1960s and 1970s understandable. I'm not from the same 'trend' but I found the account of those days well-researched and accurate even when he described other political tendencies. That alone is quite a feat. He also explains, lovingly but honestly, the weaknesses and failures of our generation's organizations, and the way the change in the American political scene limited our prospects. This account is so complex and packed with information that I would recommend today's activists to expect to spend some time with it. I lived through this period, and I had never seen such a clear account of the various local collectives and groups who formed the major national groups such as PL, RU, OL, CL, and how they interacted, changed, etc. Max is respectful of all the players, and reading this book is a healing experience. In these times, when an internationalist American movement against imperialism and injustice is so needed, Max's book is an important contribution.