Description
Raskin's scrupulously researched history corrects many of the myths Abbie Hoffman perpetuated about his life and career, yet also prompts new respect for the man as an able political strategist and organizer. Hard to believe from the staid book jacket photo, but the author (now a university professor) was "minister of education" in Hoffman's Yo
Raskin's scrupulously researched history corrects many of the myths Abbie Hoffman perpetuated about his life and career, yet also prompts new respect for the man as an able political strategist and organizer. Hard to believe from the staid book jacket photo, but the author (now a university professor) was "minister of education" in Hoffman's Youth International Party, better known as the Yippies. Raskin generally keeps his personal involvement in the background, but it obviously informs his well-rounded, antistereotypical depiction of the messy, often demented nature of 1960s radicalism.
Book Description As cultural revolutionary, media celebrity, Yippie, lost soul, and tragic suicide, Abbie Hoffman embodied the contradictions of his era. In this riveting new biography, Jonah Raskin draws on his own twenty-year relationship with Hoffman; hundreds of interviews with friends, family members, and former comrades; and careful scrutiny of FBI files, court records, and public documents. For the Hell of It is a must-read not only for those interested in this ultimate iconoclast, but also for all who seek a fuller understanding of Abbie Hoffman's America.
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