My notebooks are rich with quotations from this book. Dellinger had unorthodox views on many issues, including World War II, Korea, Vietnam, electoral politics, capitalism, militarism, Cuba, prisons. Whether or not you agree with his views, they are worth considering, if only because they are so different from the standard versions.

He contends that before Pearl Harbor the Japanese were deliberately provoked by the U.S. Navy, on orders from Washington; that "Hiroshima and Nagasaki were atomized at a time when the Japanese were suing desperately for peace." On Hitler, Dellinger agrees that international fascism is an evil that needs to be resisted, but not "under the leadership and by the methods of big business, big government, and the military." He recommends instead tactical nonviolence such as strikes, sabotage, slowdowns, free presses, and noncooperation, as practiced by countries like Norway, Holland, and Belgium.

These essays were written for Liberation Magazine, which Dellinger published. Those which are a bit dated are of historical interest. They debunk some of the things you learned in school, and that is reason enough to read this book. ( )