Levitating the Pentagon and Other Uplifting Stories: A Life of Activism

by Nancy Kurshan

A bold, unflinching memoir from the front lines of American protest by lifelong activist Nancy Kurshan. “For readers still trying to figure out what the “new left” was about, this is THE book to read.” —Robin Morgan, Author, Activist



In Levitating the Pentagon and Other Uplifting Stories, longtime activist Nancy Kurshan offers a vivid, woman’s-eye view of seven decades of radical social change. From the founding of the Yippies and the theatrical feminist resistance of W.I.T.C.H., to solidarity work with political prisoners and indigenous liberation movements, Kurshan’s life chronicles the evolution of the U.S. Left—from civil rights to antiwar to feminist, abolitionist, and internationalist struggles.


Kurshan was not just a witness—she was a key player. She marched at the first major Vietnam War protest in D.C., co-organized the 1967 "levitation" of the Pentagon, and ran the streets of Chicago during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. She was in court for the Chicago 8 Conspiracy Trial. She traveled to North Vietnam in 1970, and returned four decades later as an honored guest. This insider’s account brings to life a half-century of resistance—from the shadow of McCarthyism to today’s fights for justice. Along the way, Kurshan reflects on the internal tensions of the movements she helped shape—especially the fraught intersection between radical politics and emergent feminist consciousness.


More than a memoir, Levitating the Pentagon is a vital historical document and a passionate call to action, grounded in an ethic of humility and truth. As African revolutionary Amilcar Cabral once said, “Tell no lies and claim no easy victories”—a motto Kurshan lives up to in life, and in this captivating memoir.


Includes a foreword by Bernardine Dohrn (Weather Underground), preface by José López, (Puerto Rican Cultural Center, Chicago), and afterword by Pat Thomas (Jerry Rubin/Yippies biographer).

Genres: Politics, Memoir

350 pages, Paperback

Published April 7, 2026

Reviews

[Rene Heybach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nancy Kurshan’s memoir, Levitating the Pentagon and Other Uplifting Stories (Three Rooms Press 2026) is a great read. In detail rich in both the personal and the political she takes us through her early life in the tumults of the Fifties and Sixties: being a “red diaper” baby and growing up in the repressive time of McCarthyism; experiencing as a teenager the cultural richness and outsider art scene of the Village in New York; intimate exposure to the Black Freedom Movement, Malcolm X, MLK and developing her activism and precocious leadership. This lays the groundwork for her fierce opposition to the Vietnam War, U.S. Imperialism and so much more. I won’t tip you off on the rest (read it!) except to say that I especially loved her openness. Throughout this memoir she plainly talks of her awakening to oppression as a woman and her reasoning for the shifts —and formidable risks — in her political and personal life.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, a 4.5. A memoir of my generation — the activism from the civil rights movement to the present day (Black Lives, climate justice, Palestine…). A history of the New Left — one of many perspectives, told by one woman (and from a women’s perspective) — about her life dedicated to the pursuit of a more just world. She describes the origins and directions of her particular corner of that left movement — the yippies, the Weather Underground, etc. in ways that are revelatory, thoughtful and reflective. I was there — often on the other side of some of the left’s political divides — and I learned from this book. It mixes intensely personal memoir with thoughtful political analysis.

Very readable and engaging but also thought-provoking. And ultimately uplifting.

[Skyhorse Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nancy Kurshan is only 3 or 4 years older than me, but I relate to all her adventures. Mine were different -- I went to Vietnam -- but my attitudes, beliefs and outrages were the same.