“This Book Will End Free Speech!” (6/6)

I met the author on June 29,1982 at the John F. Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  Abbie Hoffman was a legendary media artist,civil rights and peace activist who wrote a survival manual of sorts for the counterculture left in the late 1960s. Rejected by over 30 major American publishers, it was originally published in 1971 by Pirate Editions, then picked up by Grove Press. The book included tips on shoplifting, streetfighting, and radical organizing. It instantly caused controversy and many booksellers refused to stock it. You can tell by the photo I’ve revisited this book many times since first reading it back in 1978.