A review by jpowerj
Days of Rage: America's Radical Underground, the FBI, and the First Age of Terror by Bryan Burrough

3.0

The story gets 5 stars, it's one of the most mind-blowing accounts I've ever read in the "shit they don't teach you in history class" genre. There's a lot to learn about the merits and pitfalls of revolutionary violence and urban guerilla tactics within the "belly of the capitalist beast" here. But it gets 1 star for the author's particular takes. First off, the descriptions of all the people are intensely creepy. Every woman is portrayed as "dazzlingly attractive" and as hopelessly enthralled with some other male revolutionary figure. The lack of agency given to them is just absolutely disgusting. And then, in general, Burrough is just a consummate boot-licker, unwilling to provide any context whatsoever for the grievances of the guerillas. For example, not a single word about the suffering of Puerto Ricans, an omission all the more galling given what we're seeing in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria right now. So, final score = (1+5)/2 = 3