To America with Love: Letters from the Underground

by Abbie Hoffman, Anita Hoffman

In the spring of 1974, political activist Abbie Hoffman went "underground" to avoid a long prison sentence for allegedly selling cocaine to a police undercover agent. Over an impossible distance and under stringently secret conditions, a correspondence began between Hoffman and his wife Anita and three-year-old son America. Their letters present an achingly personal portrait of individual growth and mutual love. In Anita Hoffman's letters we see the quest of a woman discovering her own strength and independence. Abbie's letters lend a terrifying glimpse of the world of the American political/criminal underground.

Genres: Nonfiction

223 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2000

About the author

Abbott Howard "Abbie" Hoffman was a social and political activist in the United States who co-founded the Youth International Party ("Yippies"). Later he became a fugitive from the law, who lived under an alias following a conviction for dealing cocaine.

Hoffman was arrested and tried for conspiracy and inciting to riot as a result of his role in protests that led to violent confrontations with police during the 1968 Democratic National Convention, along with Jerry Rubin, David Dellinger, Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis, John Froines, Lee Weiner and Bobby Seale. The group was known collectively as the "Chicago Eight"; when Seale's prosecution was separated from the others, they became known as the Chicago Seven.

Hoffman came to prominence in the 1960s, and continued practicing his activism in the 1970s, and has remained a symbol of the youth rebellion and radical activism of that era. In his 1980 autobiography, Soon to Be a Major Motion Picture, he described himself as an anarchist.

Reviews

[boat_tiger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading the letters between Abbie and Anita. It is obvious they were deeply in love. I have always been interested in Abbie Hoffman and have read a couple of his books. This showed you a more personal and slightly tormented side to him, as these were the letters between him and Anita after he went underground, and was separated from her and their son America. I really enjoyed reading it.

[Shane Westfall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually argued for quite some time with my first wife, trying to talk her into letting me use "america" for our son's middle name.In the end, she made me choose between keeping the middle name or the one I picked as his first name. Eventually I relented, and we went with Alexander for his middle name. Still, to the best of my knowledge, he's the only Euripides growing up in america today, although if there are any others we'd love to hear from ya.
Oh, the book...it's one of those I have read several times over the years.

[Majy Gibboney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great love story. An intimate look at the psyche of a woman coming into her own and a man struggling to change.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30...#

[NYBookDragon]

A nice insight into the lives of Anita and Abbie and what it was like for him being underground.