The Strawberry Statement

nodirectionhome · Oct 8, 2007

The Strawberry Statement: Notes of a College Revolutionary by James Simon Kunen is seriously my favourite book of all time.

I borrowed my mom's copy, which she probably bought around the time it was published, 1970ish. For those of you who haven't read it, it's a student's account of the protests at Columbia University around 1968. I love the author's writing style - it's informal and often sarcastic. The whole book is really inspiring, and a great read. I highly recommend it.

Has anyone else read it? I searched the board, and I couldn't find any posts on this book... :/ But if you have read it, what did you think? And do you have any similar books that you could recommend?

Peace and love, brothers and sisters.

nodirectionhome · Oct 8, 2007

Also, here's my favourite passage from the book, for anyone who's interested :

James Simon Kunen said:

Leave me and my friends alone, bastards. Get somebody else to fight your fucking wars. You're up against something here because we're young and won't bend and we're against you. Think twice before you build your next huge mother-fucking turnpike and try to throw people out of their homes because we won't let you. Think twice before you pour your stinking bloody money into more weapons because people are hungry and we won't let you. We need good schools and houses for people to live in and it could be done and we're going to make this country do it. We've had it up to here with you and you don't have much time left, man. We don't even know who you are but we're going to find out. You're playing with fire and fire burns, baby. I mean this. I mean it well. Hear me: you're going to get human or your stinking bodies are going up against the wall. I don't get mad easily but I'm mad now and I'm going to stay mad until things change. You change them, or we change them. I don't care. But the choice isn't going to be yours much longer.
Sorry. I'm not apologizing; I mean I'm sorry that that's the way things are. Anger and hatred is a place I go to sometimes. You're making me live there.
Click to expand...

psychedelicgirl · Oct 8, 2007

I picked it up in the library once, thought it looked interesting, and have been trying to find it ever since. So I'll definitely have to look into it now! Thanks for jogging my memory!

Moody Blue · Jan 14, 2008

Wow, i like it already,
thanks

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The Strawberry Statement

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