Letters to a Young Activist

Gitlin, Todd

ISBN 10: 0465027385 / ISBN 13: 9780465027385

Published by Basic Books, New York, New York, 2003

About this Item

VG/VG. First edition.; 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall.

Seller Inventory # 6530

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Letters to a Young Activist
• Publisher: Basic Books, New York, New York
• Publication Date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0465027385
• ISBN 13: 9780465027385
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: First Edition.
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good
• Seller catalogs:
  • All
  • American Society and Politics

About this title

Synopsis

In the spirit of '60s activism, one of our era's most influential advocates of social and political change teaches protesters and dissenters how it was done, and how to keep doing it today. "Be original. See what happens." So Todd Gitlin advises the young mind burning to take action to right the wrongs of the world but also looking for bearings, understanding, direction, and practical examples.In Letters to a Young Activist , Todd Gitlin looks back at his eventful life, recalling his experience as president of the formidable Students for a Democratic Society in the '60s, contemplating the spirit of activism, and arriving at some principles of action to guide the passion and energy of those wishing to do good. He considers the three complementary motives of duty, love, and adventure, and reflects on the changing nature of idealism and how righteous action requires realistic as well as idealistic thinking. And he looks forward to an uncertain future that is nevertheless full of possibility, a future where patriotism and intelligent skepticism are not mutually exclusive.Gitlin invites the young activist to enter imaginatively into some of the dilemmas, moral and practical, of being a modern citizen--the dilemmas that affect not only the problems of what to think but also the problems of what to love and how to live.

About the Authors

Todd Gitlin is Professor of Culture, Journalism, and Sociology at New York University and University of California at Berkeley. He is the author of numerous books, including the classic The Sixties: Years of Hope, Days of Rage. He lives in New York City.

Todd Gitlin is Professor of Journalism and Sociology at Columbia University.