Fugitive Days: Memoirs of an Antiwar Activist

Bill Ayers was born into privilege and is today a highly respected educator. In the late 1960s he was a young pacifist who helped to found one of the most radical political organizations in U.S. history, the Weather Underground. In a new era of antiwar activism and suppression of protest, his story, "Fugitive Days," is more poignant and relevant than ever.

About the Author :
Bill Ayers is the author of the acclaimed and controversial memoir "Fugitive Days," its follow up "Public Enemy," and many books on education, including "To Teach," "Teaching Toward Freedom," and "A Kind and Just Parent." He is the founder of the Small Schools Workshop and was, until his retirement, Distinguished Professor of Education and Senior University Scholar at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He lives in Hyde Park, Chicago.

Review :
A fascinating memoir...distinct, original. ("The Washington Post Book World") Ayers' powerful, morally charged account of a life and a society in the political balance is provocative reading. ("Chicago Tribune") [Ayers's] memoir is a breath of fresh air in this self-absorbed age. Ayers discusses his reservations about the use of violence to achieve an end to violence (reservations he held then as well), but he is unrepentant in believing that . . . right-minded people have an obligation to resist unjust wars. . . . There are many lessons still to be learned from such narratives. Recommended.--David Keymer, "Library Journal" "[A] gripping and provocative story . . . What is most remarkable about this dramatic and revelatory personal and social history are the always urgent questions it raises about compassion and freedom, responsibility and community, and the conundrum of how to bring about much-needed change."--"Booklist," starred review "A challenging, moving, and troubling account . . . Ayers writes well, lyrically, passionately."--Andrea Behr, "San Francisco Chronicle" "A memoir that is, in effect, a deeply moving elegy to all those young dreamers who tried to live decently in an indecent world. Ayers provides a tribute to those better angels of ourselves."--Studs Terkel, author of "Working" and "The Good War" "With considerable wit, no small amount of remorse, and an anger that smolders still across the decades, Bill Ayers tells the story of his quintessentially American trip through the 1960s. That it is written in a consistently absorbing style with many passages of undiluted brilliance only adds to its appeal.--Thomas Frank, author of "One Market Under God" and "What's the Matter with Kansas?" "A gripping account . . . Ayers describes well the deep emotions that inflamed the '60s."--John Patrick Diggins, "Los Angeles Times" "This is a precious book, not simply because it offers a gripping personal account of the primal American suspense story of life on the run, but, more important, because it recreates a critical point of view and way of thinking that we seem, even a few decades later, barely able to recall."--Scott Turow, a