5 Days That Shook the World: Seattle and Beyond

by Alexander Cockburn, Jeffrey St Clair, Allan Sekula (Photographer)

“In the annals of popular protest in America, these have been shining hours, achieved entirely outside the conventional arena of orderly protest, white paper activism and the timid bleats of the professional leadership of big labor establishment greens. This truly was an insurgency from below in which all those who strove to moderate and deflect the turbulent flood of popular outrage managed only to humiliate themselves.”

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, History, Activism

144 pages, Paperback

First published December 5, 2000

About the author

Alexander Claud Cockburn was an American political journalist. Cockburn was brought up in Ireland but has lived and worked in the United States since 1972. Together with Jeffrey St. Clair, he edits the political newsletter CounterPunch. Cockburn also writes the "Beat the Devil" column for The Nation and a weekly syndicated column for the Los Angeles Times as well as for The First Post, which is syndicated by Creators Syndicate.

Reviews

[Heath · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book would seem dated because the nature of the political protests surrounding the WTO in late 1999 were quaint, given hindsight. Turns out that the book is perhaps more shocking in its portrayal of the police state that emerged in Seattle, DC, and Philadelphia -- and the growing signs of jackboot culture in American politics and defense. The fact that these events occurred on U.S. soil and didn't merit more widespread outrage is confusing. A quick read, too.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an account of the Seattle protests of the WTO and other large global organizations that took place a few years ago. It is written by the guys who run "counterpunch.com" and is a very interesting take on everything. These protests are cited as a case of many diverse groups with diverse agendas coming together to protest against something larger than themselves. The violence from police was unbelievable despite the peaceful nature of most of the protesting. From the inside cover: "In the annals of popular protest in America, these have been shining hours, achieved entirely outside the conventional arena of orderly protest, white paper activism and the timid bleats of the professional leadership of big labor establishment greens. This truly was an insurgency from below in which all those who strove to moderate and deflect the turbulent flood of popular outrage managed only to humiliate themselves."

[Meg · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm afraid I can't recommend this book because the editing is just incredibly shoddy. I really wouldn't want to subject you to it.
It is good, though, if you're looking for first-person perspectives from people who were at the 1999 WTO protest in Seattle. It serves as yet another document of the immense police brutality that occurred at Seattle and in events following, providing good reason to be concerned about the ties between U.S. police forces, military, and large corporations.

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

B Very interesting and informative abt the infamous protests in Seattle, LA, and DC and the insanity that came abt--makes you wish you were there!