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Reunion: A Memoir
The sixties activist turned 1980s legislator tells of his involvement in student movements, his visits to Hanoi, and the events of the 1968 Democratic convention, describes his personal life, and reaffirms his commitment to dissent
541 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
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About the author
Tom Hayden
88 books29 followersThomas Emmet Hayden was an American social and political activist, author, and politician.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 23, 2022
The politically turbulent sixties witnessed significant social protest movements in America. In his book, Tom Hayden attempts to make sense of this dramatic period with the help of two decades of hindsight. He writes from the perspective of the period and recreates the sense of hope and despair, and especially the turbulence of the decade. He brings the events of the period to life, but does not succeed in explaining either the social movements or the reasons for their rise and subsequent downfall.
The 1960s were a remarkable time. The young people, particularly those in universities, feelt possibility and change – new lifestyles, new politics, new consciousness, and a sense of crisis. Things seemed to be falling apart. The war in Vietnam shaped the decade as the American government tried to use its seemingly unlimited power to force its will on a small Southeast Asian country. There was also a feeling that existing political institutions were not working. President Lyndon Johnson had won the election by a landslide with a promise not to escalate the American involvement in Vietnam and had done precisely that. The civil rights movement, meanwhile, found sympathetic supporters as it demanded equality for African Americans. There was even a cultural revolution going on: some of the young people revolted against the conformity of the fifties, and rock music grew in popularity. With it came the drugs, and LSD and marijuana use became widespread on campuses. Traditional attitudes toward sex were questioned. Overseas, Castro attracted youngsters with his image of a daring revolutionary, and Mao's Cultural Revolution also seemed promising. In short, change defined the decade, and revolutionary social change appeared achievable – from the perspective of the college campuses at least.
The author, in many ways, illustrates the spirit of the sixties. He reflects the enthusiasm felt by participants in the various social movements and the flawed beliefs that abounded. For instance, many believed that revolution was just around the corner in the Western democracies, and some of them acted on these beliefs. The author also focuses on some of the political events that shaped the period — the assassinations of President Kennedy and Martin Luther King, the Vietnam conflict, and the civil rights movement. He does not dwell on the thought that “normal” politics continued and that the political systems put under such stress adjusted to crisis. He does not focus on the lives of "ordinary” people, the large and mostly silent majority that was affected by the social unrest and changes of the decade. His account, like the movement he depicts, lacks a broader perspective. From the Chicago Democratic Convention to the civil rights movement and the emergence of "black power", to the student unrest on campuses, he covers broadly rather than deeply. However, his work evokes the liveliness and the commitment to political and cultural change.
The author demonstrates a sympathetic attitude toward the sixties. He understands the excesses of the movement, the unrealistic expectations of the activists, and its self-destructive tendencies that became evident at the end of the decade. He also acknowledges that although the sixties were a high point in the lives of many, a lot of mistakes, such as the support for repressive regimes and the increasingly violent protest tactics, were committed. He still casts the movement in positive, romantic light, though. According to him, the excesses of the period were happened because of the excessive enthusiasm of the activists.
An important participant in the American New Left, Hayden draws on his experiences and perspectives. He was a key figure in the protest movements of the time. He was the author of the influential Port Huron Statement, which was the rallying cry of SDS, and was indicted by the American government in the famous Chicago Conspiracy Trial. He married actress and activist Jane Fonda and served as a member of the California legislature. His voice is direct and a little self-critical.
He brings the sixties to the readers' attention. The most tumultuous decade of the postwar period, it saw the rise of the women's movement, of important changes in attitudes about lifestyles, and of a disruptive but eventually unsuccessful political movement based in the universities. The movement forced President Johnson from office, but did not bring about any lasting change in American politics. It might have even ushered in the conservative era of Reagan – a darker side of the 1960s that the author does not consider.
REUNION is a well-written account of American student political activism. Hayden approaches the topic in a way that makes his work suitable for lay readers. This book is not the most comprehensive analysis of the turbulent decade, but it is informative and interesting.
The 1960s were a remarkable time. The young people, particularly those in universities, feelt possibility and change – new lifestyles, new politics, new consciousness, and a sense of crisis. Things seemed to be falling apart. The war in Vietnam shaped the decade as the American government tried to use its seemingly unlimited power to force its will on a small Southeast Asian country. There was also a feeling that existing political institutions were not working. President Lyndon Johnson had won the election by a landslide with a promise not to escalate the American involvement in Vietnam and had done precisely that. The civil rights movement, meanwhile, found sympathetic supporters as it demanded equality for African Americans. There was even a cultural revolution going on: some of the young people revolted against the conformity of the fifties, and rock music grew in popularity. With it came the drugs, and LSD and marijuana use became widespread on campuses. Traditional attitudes toward sex were questioned. Overseas, Castro attracted youngsters with his image of a daring revolutionary, and Mao's Cultural Revolution also seemed promising. In short, change defined the decade, and revolutionary social change appeared achievable – from the perspective of the college campuses at least.
The author, in many ways, illustrates the spirit of the sixties. He reflects the enthusiasm felt by participants in the various social movements and the flawed beliefs that abounded. For instance, many believed that revolution was just around the corner in the Western democracies, and some of them acted on these beliefs. The author also focuses on some of the political events that shaped the period — the assassinations of President Kennedy and Martin Luther King, the Vietnam conflict, and the civil rights movement. He does not dwell on the thought that “normal” politics continued and that the political systems put under such stress adjusted to crisis. He does not focus on the lives of "ordinary” people, the large and mostly silent majority that was affected by the social unrest and changes of the decade. His account, like the movement he depicts, lacks a broader perspective. From the Chicago Democratic Convention to the civil rights movement and the emergence of "black power", to the student unrest on campuses, he covers broadly rather than deeply. However, his work evokes the liveliness and the commitment to political and cultural change.
The author demonstrates a sympathetic attitude toward the sixties. He understands the excesses of the movement, the unrealistic expectations of the activists, and its self-destructive tendencies that became evident at the end of the decade. He also acknowledges that although the sixties were a high point in the lives of many, a lot of mistakes, such as the support for repressive regimes and the increasingly violent protest tactics, were committed. He still casts the movement in positive, romantic light, though. According to him, the excesses of the period were happened because of the excessive enthusiasm of the activists.
An important participant in the American New Left, Hayden draws on his experiences and perspectives. He was a key figure in the protest movements of the time. He was the author of the influential Port Huron Statement, which was the rallying cry of SDS, and was indicted by the American government in the famous Chicago Conspiracy Trial. He married actress and activist Jane Fonda and served as a member of the California legislature. His voice is direct and a little self-critical.
He brings the sixties to the readers' attention. The most tumultuous decade of the postwar period, it saw the rise of the women's movement, of important changes in attitudes about lifestyles, and of a disruptive but eventually unsuccessful political movement based in the universities. The movement forced President Johnson from office, but did not bring about any lasting change in American politics. It might have even ushered in the conservative era of Reagan – a darker side of the 1960s that the author does not consider.
REUNION is a well-written account of American student political activism. Hayden approaches the topic in a way that makes his work suitable for lay readers. This book is not the most comprehensive analysis of the turbulent decade, but it is informative and interesting.
January 27, 2018
Looking backward at the 60s one gets the impression that it was a time of possibility, exuberance, and hope. Hayden's memoir is a record of this mistaken impression. It is in some parts quite beautifully written, but as a political record it gives an inside account of the Movement (or movements) handling and management by first the Kennedy and then the Johnson administration. I think this should clear up any notion that the Democratic party was ever on the side of justice, except that it was forced there by so many committed, beautiful and dedicated people, young and old. Though clearly written with an eye toward setting down the historical record, the most moving moments center around Hayden's emotions: the first chapter which describes his feeling trapped in white culture (not his terms), the memoirs of activists in Newark, his personal reflections on Kennedy, and the sense of despair once his part in the Movement collapsed.
August 14, 2021
Tom Hayden was there for many of the major events of the Sixties and he offers measured reflections on what happened, but it doesn't provide much in the way of revelations.
November 16, 2016
Reading this book put our recent election in perspective. Things really were worse then. Tom Hayden writes with clarity and sense, and is particularly good at summoning up the idealism that led to the Port Huron Statement, of which he was a principal author.
March 25, 2009
This was a little dry and factual but still interesting.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews