Overview

At the height of the Vietnam War, Jerry Elmer committed his first felony by refusing to register for the draft. Over the next 20 years, using nonviolent tactics, Jerry worked for peace, justice, and the environment, from raiding draft boards with Father Phil Berrigan to touring the killing fields of Cambodia to protesting nuclear power plans after Three Mile Island. The only convicted felon in Harvard's law school class of 1990, Jerry Elmer now gives us his lifetime of lessons in nonviolent protest as an example for all who wish to make a positive difference today.

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9780826514943

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Reviews

Jerry Elmer's story spans the breadth of nonviolent direct action during the Vietnam War and after. A new generation of activists in the peace and global justice movements now emerging will want to read this book to reflect on the tactical and strategic choices open to us today.<br>--Mark Rudd, last National Secretary of SDS and a co-founder of the Weather Underground

. . . Elmeras daring exploits in the cause of peace and his trenchant observations about the background, foreground, and aftermath of the Vietnam-Era will provide entertaining and provocative reading for both those who lived through that period as well as those who came after but wish to know about a watershed period of modern American history that continues to influence national policy and personal responses to it.<br> Rhode Island Bar Journal

. . . Elmer's daring exploits in the cause of peace and his trenchant observations about the background, foreground, and aftermath of the Vietnam-Era will provide entertaining and provocative reading for both those who lived through that period as well as those who came after but wish to know about a watershed period of modern American history that continues to influence national policy and personal responses to it. --Rhode Island Bar Journal Elmer's account of the paths he took, the reasons for them, the disappointments and achievements, the dilemmas and hard decisions, reaches well beyond the fascinating story of one courageous and honorable person. It also provides penetrating insights into the goals, principles, and tactical choices of the nonviolent activist, and the lessons they can teach to a troubled and dangerous world. --Noam Chomsky Jerry Elmer's story is not only a fascinating memoir, but a thoughtful discussion of the most important issue of our time: can society's addiction to war be replaced by nonviolent direct action as a means for achieving a just and peaceful world? --Howard Zinn, historian This is a timely book, to help us reflect on what we should have learned from Vietnam and to bring back those counselors we too quickly set aside with the draft. Young people today need to know they have choices, and that protest can take many forms. --Providence Sunday Journal Jerry Elmer's story spans the breadth of nonviolent direct action during the Vietnam War and after. A new generation of activists in the peace and global justice movements now emerging will want to read this book to reflect on the tactical and strategic choices open to us today. --Mark Rudd, last National Secretary of SDS and a co-founder of the Weather Underground

Author Information

Jerry Elmer currently practices commercial litigation in Providence, RI.

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