Living Inside Our Hope: A Steadfast Radical's Thoughts on Rebuilding the Movement

For 40 years, Lynd has worked to create a more just and humane society through his writing (Nonviolence in America; The Other Side; et al.), teaching, lawyering and organizing. In a dozen essays written over 25 years, this self-described ""unrepentant New Leftist and socialist"" offers a legacy of ideas and experiences sure to inspire, arouse and provoke. Covering subjects as old as the Constitution and as new as welfare reform, the essays display both remarkable depth and striking breadth. Civil rights, Vietnam, Central America, communism, Solidarity, corporate downsizing--all are explored and interpreted through Lynd's own brand of ""mindful activism,"" giving the book the feel of an autobiography. In defending the intellectual contribution to the movements he has been a part of, he occasionally overdoes it; his theories on Freedom Summer 1964, E.P. Thompson, Simone Weil and the origins of bolshevism suffer from tedious overanalysis. But in an age when radical is used to describe the latest basketball shoe, Lynd reminds us of our heritage of agitators and troublemakers who have won us such amenities as an eight-hour workday and racial integration. This collection, with its emphasis on nonviolence, comforting the poor and oppressed and ""deeds not words,"" will prove a valuable resource for new generations of ""long distance runners"" as well as for anyone interested in social change. Photos. (June)