Rating: 
Summary: Fugitive on the Run From Reality
Review: Now that the War on Terror is in full force, readers may need a grain of salt to help them through this self-righteous account of Bill Ayers' days as a Weatherman in the 1960's. This book came out several days before 9/11 so at least we can absolve the author for his obvious bad taste. The story Ayers tells here is a familiar one to anyone who has studied the Far Left politics of the Woodstock era. The United States government was evil, the War in Vietnam was a crime, and "Down With the Establishment and Status Quo" was the rage of the day. To support their radical views, Ayers and company went on a little terrorist spree of their own, ruining countless lives for the sake of their hypocritical "cause". It was all fun and games back then, at the expense of a lot of innocent people.
History, of course, has finally proven Ayers and his crowd all wrong. This self-serving memoir of a spoiled brat who got away with murder is a disgrace and loaded with enough dishonesty to make every reader cringe. Bill Ayers, a child of privilege, should have served plenty of jail time for his shenanigans instead of being given the opportunity to justify his idiotic and criminal actions. Those actions are all on display here (and it's too bad we have a statute of limitations in this country). For all of Ayers' howling about the evils of America, he's been able to cash in big-time himself, using the system he supposedly despises for all the economic gain he can muster. Only in America does hypocrisy like this sell. At least Abbie Hoffman was man enough to encourage the stealing of his book. But as Dylan said, "Don't think twice, it's alright."
Rating: 
Summary: Bombs Away
Review: William Ayers was a founding member of the Weathermen, that home-grown terrorist organization that tried to end the Vietnam war by blowing things up in the United States. Their ideology was distinctly communist, and their goal was not just the removal of U.S. forces from Vietnam, but the overthrow of the U.S. government, a goal that Mr. Ayers calls "...lofty, if immodest". "Fugitive Days" purportedly deals with Mr. Ayers' life on the run after three of his comrades vaporized themselves in the infamous New York City townhouse explosion when the bomb they had built to place in an army installation detonated prematurely, but is in reality nothing more than a lengthy rehash of the Weathermen's skewed philosophy. Strange days indeed, particularly so since Mr. Ayers has long since morphed into his father (much belittled in "Fugitive Days") and taken his own place in the upper middle class. He writes from his tenured sinecure as a full professor at the University of Illinois. The Weathermen in general and Mr. Ayers in particular recognized the strategic value of striking at the heart of the country's institutions and cultural symbols. Thus they placed bombs in the Pentagon ,the U.S. Capitol, and numerous other government and quasi-government buildings. Mr. Ayers seems particularly proud that he blew up a statue in Chicago that memorialized police officers killed in the line of duty. When the Chicago police union (one union that Mr. Ayers apparently doesn't support) replaced the statue, Mr. Ayers blew it up again. The union replaced it again, but this time had it moved indoors and placed in the lobby of the Chicago Police Academy. Mr. Ayers' writing here gets downright chilling. In a post September 11th world, this self-confessed bomber who "...can't imagine entirely dismissing the possibility..." of bombing more buildings, blithely points out that the statue is still vulnerable "...from the air". Mr. Ayers is also capable of defiling monuments in a less explosive fashion, as when he makes a trip to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., the Wall that honors U.S. military personnel killed in Vietnam, an absolutely holy place to veterans and their families, and there scrawls the name of the woman who died in the New York townhouse exoplosion. The bomb she helped make, remember, was destined to kill American soldiers. Mr. Ayers is indeed, as he brags, "guilty as hell and free as a bird". Doublespeak abounds and evasions and omissions proliferate. Cop killers are called "freedom fighters" and bombs were placed for "peace". Mr. Ayers writes of something called the "white skin privilege", and if by this he means that it is better to be rich and white in America than it is to be poor and black then he'll get no argument. However, he misses an opportunity to show the reader exactly what this means by omitting entirely the saga of fellow Weather alum fugitive Kathy Boudin (she is acknowledged on the very last page of the book; Mr. Ayers and his wife adopted and raised her son), a "freedom fighter" imprisoned for her part in the "expropriation" , i.e., armed robbery, of a Brinks truck that left two police officers and a security guard dead. The black men who took part in this were convicted and sentenced to 75 years to life; they will never get out. Ms. Boudin, the very white daughter of the very rich lawyer, negotiated a plea bargain of 20 years to life. She is now eligible and clamoring for parole.
Rating:
Summary: Here's an idea... Try telling the truth next time.
Review: Ayers admits that this book relies heavily on imagination, but he doesn't really provide much of an explanation (one assumes that it is tied to self-interest). The book was published right on the eve of 9-11, but far enough after Oklahoma City to lull the media (in New York, at least) into a false perception that it might still be possible to package the anti-establishment terrorism of the 60's and 70's as tastefully chic. What is most troubling about this book isn't that Ayers or Bernadine Dohrn (his Charles Manson admiring partner) are unrepentant about the violence and property destruction, but that the academic community has been so accepting of both these arguably socio-pathic individuals. It is difficult to imagine an abortion clinic bomber being invited to join the faculty of any university, yet the same principle applies. Just as Ayers concedes, this book does not provide an honest and complete account of events. Other than the failure to mention the BLA and the killing of the parents of nine children, the most conspicuous omission is how these two fugitives against the bourgeois system shamelessly used their parent's money and influence to avoid serving time for their crimes after turning themselves in to law enforcement.
Rating:
Summary: For Ayers, honesty is just another word.....
Review: How interesting that the fans of this book should place such emphasis on its "honesty," "candor," "truth." Not that Ayers is a liar, exactly. Say rather that he has been very, very economical with the truth, omitting anything that might complicate and hinder his narcissistic agenda. For a certain class of reader, the stipulation that "memory is a mother-----" will be sufficient to license any spin that Ayers chooses to perpetrate. So yeah: memory is unreliable: that's why, when writing a book about your life, its necessary to check your memory against other sources. Like other peoples' memories, other historical accounts of the same events, contemporary documents, letters, news, etc etc. It's not like Ayers would have been short of memory aids to assist him in disciplining his memory, had he been sufficiently interested in truth to look at them. In establishing his contract with the reader, Ayers doesn't even CLAIM to be telling the truth. In his own words, the stories in this book represent "what feels real to me." That's a cushy standard against which to measure one's self. That, my friends, is decadence. So puh-leeze! defend the book on any grounds except "honesty."
You want to see what an honest autobiography feels like, read the searing "Growing Up in Black and White" by Brent Staples, an African-American contemporary of Ayers' who also passed through a phase of involvement with the Black Panthers in the 1960s. Then read Staple's splendid dismissal of "Fugitive Days" from the New York Times Book Review last winter. And then admit to yourself that you've been had, and that your ...badly needs recalibration.
Rating: 
Summary: Uncovering illusions...
Review: How difficult it is to uncover truth. A painful process. A necessary one for a meaningful existence. Read this book. Read how necessary it is to understand our motivations. Read Chapter 29. Read how necessary it is to understand our social history. This is not a book for those who wish to exist on platitudes of illusions. This is a book of honest exploration and opens the door for extremely relevant discussions of our troubled times.
Rating:
Summary: A Long Overdue Memoir - Well Worth Reading
Review: I had the pleasure of meeting Bill Ayers once, several years ago, during a breakfast in Chicago that I was privileged to have with former SDS National Secretary Michael Klonsky. Since, as Bill writes in his book, "Memory is a mother----er," he probably doesn't remember that meeting at all. But, I remember Bill's stated ambition at the time as wanting to be the "Rush Limbaugh of the left." It's a shame he didn't follow through on that, for I think he would have made an articulate radio commentator. Fortunately, we have this long overdue memoir. Bill Ayers writes with tremendous grace (he's a fine writer), and absolute candor. These two attributes should be sufficient recommendation for anyone interested in political radicalism in the 1960's. Ayers was in the thick of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), quite possibly the most significant, mass movement of the left in the past three decades. Books on this subject alone are difficult to find (such as Kirkpatrick Sale's long out of print history). But, it is always refreshing to hear history as told by a participant. Bill Ayers, to his great credit, glosses over nothing that is significant. Equally worthwhile is the fact that although Bill's focus has changed to educational reform, he has not joined the legions of former leftists (e.g., Max Eastman, Jay Lovestone, Whitaker Chambers, Jerry Rubin, David Horowitz) who turned their back on their political leftism for conservative and neo-conservative politics. The interesting thing is that, with the exception of the FBI and those within the SDS orbit, Bill Ayers was somewhat of an unknown. The media focused on Mark Rudd, following the Columbia University rebellion, and Bernardine Dohrn, an activist and lawyer (who is now married to Ayers). Still, Bill Ayers was very much in the thick of things and uniquely suited to write this very stimulating and provocative memoir. Read this book for its merits, no matter your own political philosophy. You do not have to agree with Bill Ayers, nor do you need champion the Weather Underground and its activities. Indeed, there are but a few who will do so. What you do need to understand is what liberals, conservatives, and radicals all seem to agree on: The 1960's were turbulent, angry times when this nation appeared to be coming apart, and when revolution seemed a relevant concept. Bill Ayers brings these times to life in his compelling memoir. Much of his activity was wrong-headed, which he admits. Some of it had very tragic consequences. But the spirit of commitment, of pursuit of a just and equitable society, of working toward a brighter future, all of this is worthwhile and shines through in this book.
Rating:
Summary: Then happy is the land that needs no heroes.
Review: If Billy and Bernardine are "American heroes," then I would next like to nominate Charles Manson for canonization too. Ayers doesn't mention it in his weasel-worded, supremely evasive pseudo-memoir, but back in the day all the Weatherpeople thought very highly of Manson, embracing him as a fellow revolutionary. And in fact, the Weather cult and the Family had quite a bit in common, ideologically speaking. They both were banking on the idea that American blacks were about to rise up and slaughter their white oppressors in an apocalyptic race war. (Tom Hayden famously paraphrased this doctrine thus: "Get a ______ to pull the trigger.")This belief underlay the famous Manson murders: Charles hoped that "the Establishment" would blame black people and come down hard on their community, thus igniting the event he called "Helter Skelter."
A key difference between Ayers/Dohrn and Manson, however, is that Manson came by his insanity honestly. He was born at the very bottom of the social scale, grew up in penal institutions, was sexually and physically abused in every manner imaginable. The poor slob wasn't even given a name at birth. Bill Ayers, on the other hand, grew up with silver spoons up every orifice of his body. He went to the best prep schools; was given every privilege and perk imaginable. And that makes him something less than Manson.
Rating:
Summary: Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn are American heroes.
Review: Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn are American heroes. Unlike most people that sit around idly & whine about corrupt politicians, unfair work environments, and the total lack of justice in the courts, the Weathermen at least did *something*. Perhaps, at times, their actions were misguided, but the fact that they made the effort shows their character. They are not terrorists. They are heroes. Their targets were carefully selected & minimized loss of life -- unlike police around the country that deliberately and systematically murdered individuals such as Fred Hampton & many others. As Ayers himself has said, you can't take someone's actions out of the context in which they occurred. Look at what was going on at the time: young people were being drafted & forced to fight in an immoral war for profit. The country was run by liars and criminals -- first LBJ, and then Nixon. Then, as now, corporations became filthy rich by robbing the People, all with the knowledge and assistance of the politicians, our supposed benefactors. And, as with now, there were no real civil rights. Conditions now are identical, if not worse than they were in the '60s/'70s. In fact, the political climate today is identical to that which sparked the original American revolutionary war. There is no taxation with representation. Just try to get your Congressman on the phone. He's too busy or important? Listening to you is his *job*. Peacefully assemply, a Constitutional right, will get you beaten up & thrown in jail -- by thugs whose salary YOU pay, no less. We live in a time when a complete imbecile, backed by family connections, can steal the Presidency. Finally, the People of Missouri chose to vote for a dead man over John Ashcroft, who, installed as Attorney General, tramps all over the Constitution -- the basis for all our laws and, indeed, our country itself. Ayers and Dohrn are more like the patriots and Founding Fathers than today's "sanctioned" crop of George the 3rds. Perhaps the sheeple don't like the Weathermen because the Man on TeeVee didn't say they were "ok". Maybe people are stupid. Since virtually every reviewer has rated this book not on its own merits, but on their opinion of the author, I will follow course and give five stars.
Rating:
Summary: Good story of the times and the political counter culture
Review: Most of the strongly negative reviews of this book on this page are politically motivated, let's be clear about that. It is to be expected with such a controversial subject as the experiences of a leftist organizer, saboteur and street fighter of the 1960's and -70's. Many people hold strong views and ill will for Mr. Ayers' political viewpoint as well as a desire that his views not get wide distribution. Hence one should view the reviews and star ratings with this reality in mind.
The critics can't fault the writing. Ayers' narrative flows on the page with a natural and even poetic quality.
They can't fault his honesty. Ayers presents a straightforward, self effacing view of his thoughts and actions. He certainly expresses regrets about the path he took in his political life, though those regrets can never satisfy his critics.
They can't fault the book as uninteresting, as the real story of life evading the FBI is anything but boring. It is understandable that he is far from complete in his account of their illegal activities. Other people's lives would still be affected.
They can't even fault his motivations. Ayers was motivated by a love of justice and driven by the best understanding he could muster to achieve the goal of a just and peaceable America in a world of freedom and equality. He and his associates were certainly not motivated by greed, glory or other nefarious enticements. Rage at injustice and violence particularly by the US government in America and elsewhere in the world steeled them to action.
That leaves his actions. The destruction of property, reckless endangerment, bombings, armed robberies to finance actions, and assault are certainly open to condemnation. However, Ayers makes no excuses. Compare their actions to the deaths inflicted in the Deep South, in "race riots" or in Vietnam in that period for some perspective, however.
I was one of many millions of Americans who experienced the political and cultural turmoil of the sixties and seventies. I supported the Civil Rights struggle and was opposed to the Vietnam war. Remember that the clear majority of people in the United States eventually came to share similar beliefs. The stubborn continuation of the war and the violent opposition to realizing full civil rights for minorities and women frustrated the desires of the this emerging majority. The period was marked by an upheaval against the established order by a sincere and dedicated mass of baby boomers: black, white, brown, upper and lower class young men and women. Some were idealists, some were just fighting for a decent life. But all were united in a sense of excitement, change and the possibilities of a better world in their lifetime. One trend of young militants in that upheaval, the Weathermen of whom Bill Ayers was one, careened off in the direction of illegal, organized and violent direct action.
Any student of the period would do well to read this book to understand not only the thoughts and motivations of these militants, but also to get a glimpse of the time and the political counter-culture that they contributed to and moved in. For example, to illustrate the breadth and passion of the opposition to the Vietnam war in that period, Ayers notes that in the period of early 1969 to Spring of 1970, the Weathermen were responsible for 6 bombings. In that same period there were approximately 5000 actual bombings of government and corporate facilities. "It makes you wonder," he writes (p. 228).
Mr. Ayers expresses well the sense of being swept up in a phenomenon of his choosing. But the sacrifices, up to and including the loss of many of their own lives along with the painful deaths of some innocents by the errors of other groups became onerous. In the end the necessary isolation became self-defeating, as the Weather Underground, instead of growing to a mass guerrilla movement as they hoped, became alienated from the struggle they meant to support.
In today's atmosphere of the war against terrorism, one might be tempted to equate the actions of Mr. Ayers with those of the likes of Al Qaeda. That would be a mistake. It is disingenuous to call the Weather Underground a terrorist organization; their goal was never to instill terror. True terror to them was what the US was doing in Vietnam or Watts or Kent State on a daily, massive scale. I recall the Weather Underground were actually the subject of some amusement among other armed leftist groups for their efforts to preserve human life. Their actions were violent, but more "armed propaganda" and incitement than any serious attempt to destroy government operations. They were saboteurs with aspirations to form a guerrilla resistance movement.
Regardless of one's political outlook, however, all of us would do well to read this book to understand some of the rage of people who make bombs in the sincere, if misguided belief that they are making a better world.
Rating: 
Summary: a good read
Review: i'm not going to write a review, but i just wanted to say that people who are writing reviews are just being silly. just because you don't like mr. ayers, doesn't mean that his book is deserving of but a single star. i found it to be a well done piece, and most of the time i was really wrapped up in the story... which should have nothing to do with how much you like the man or his politics. don't let the haters sway you... if you were thinking about this book, give it a shot. it's worth your time.
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