Synopsis "Chasing Revolution: Tales of an American Itinerant Radical (1965-80)"
Chasing Revolution - is the political and personal tales of a young American trying to be a radical during the mid-1960's thought 1980. These are not tales of "the famous or infamous," but of people, like himself, that the author refers to as "foot soldiers of the revolution; "people trying to be radicals and revolutionaries when it seemed the right thing to do." Besides his own tales, throughout these stories are many recollections of mentors and old radicals the author encountered in his periods of being itinerant, who helped shape his form of radicalism; including old union organizers from the beginning of the 20th century, very early civil rights workers, and European anarchists, and even a few famous "radicals" of his time. Also, among the mentors were the parents of one of his lovers (a truly Red Diaper Baby"), who were artists, and at one point Communists, who were "exiled" in the woods of Connecticut as victims of McCarthyism. The work covers primarly five periods in the author's life - 1) As a teen in San Francisco, working on anti-draft and pro-Black Panther efforts, while at the same time particpating in the "Hippie world" of sex, drugs and rock and roll. 2) As an itinerant young man in Europe, looking for the remains of the failed 1968 revolutions that nearly toppled several governments; and helping with the international squatter movements. But in addtion his time in Europe led to him becoming deeper involved in drug culture 3) Helping to form a political collective in Hartford CT. and finding his first major love relationship; and making his first real efforts to end his drug use. 4) Once again itinerant, working on national anti-war demonstrations in DC, supporting political efforts in New York City, seeing despair in a small Georgia town, and finding personal despair in a small town in upstate New York; and 5) Finding a community in Seattle WA, on the verge of collapse, where he worked with many similarly minded people to fight for basic needs for the area; and lay the foundation for the city wide fight over the need for low-income housing (under the rubric of "low income city dwellers are an endangered species."However, these are not just stories of community organizing, demonstrations and drugs; these are also the tales of the author's efforts to deal with the impacts of his family's dysfunctions and the impacts of what would after the time period of these tales defined as a series of disabilities and mental health issues (such as ADHD and PTSD). And, in what could be considered a sixth section, these are also the author's tales of efforts to find "family" among his fellow radicals; and later to resist the pressure to "grow up" and become part of the "norm" of his time by accepting the "end of the Left." These later stories are tales of a dedicated radical's failed efforts to transition into the middle class existence; so expected of the time, and so complicated for the author due to his disability issues. Chasing Revolution is therefore not the standard tales of someone from wealth spending some time as a "hippie radical;" these are more the tales of people, including the author, who were, like Mao called upon them being, trying to be "fish in the sea" - attempting to build a base for social revolution; and efforts to undo "the traditional chains that bind us." They did so without much ideology; only based on the need to make life more just for themselves, and those around them. They felt they were just following the traditions of the often forgotten American radicals of almost every time, that has pushed and pulled the United States towards truly "the land of the free."
