"Steal This Book"

After watching the Netflix movie, "The Trial of the Chicago 7," I was interested in learning more about Abbie Hoffman, and wanted to do so by reading his own words. Steal This Book was written in 1970 while Hoffman was in jail for the Chicago Riots, (the plot of the movie mentioned), and while I cannot say that I condone stealing, I cannot deny that this book was a good read.

Hoffman on How to Cheat the System

Whether or not you agree with Hoffman's politics, it is clear that he was a very intelligent man, and I admire the consistency of his words, views and actions. This book is basically a "How-to-get-things-most -of-us-take-for-granted" guide; free food, medical care, housing, education...things that humans cannot live without and yet, many still do live without. While Hoffman encourages cheating the system, it is important to note that he does not encourage harming fellow human beings. For example, when he wrote about eating for free, he insisted on leaving a good tip for waiters/waitresses when doing so.

This book also has a number of comical illustrations and pictures of Hoffman and his colleagues, which paints what I believe to be an authentic image of Hoffman when accompanied by the text. Many of the tips Hoffman wrote about are obsolete now (how many of us use pay phones?), but I did learn more about the man than I did through the movie.

Once again I will say that I do not condone stealing, but I did enjoy this book! I recommend it to anyone who is curious about Abbie Hoffman and the movements he supported. 4 Stars!

That's all for now! If you have any comments, discussion points, or review requests, please comment below, email me (theopinionatedbookworm@gmail.com) or follow me on Instagram (@theopinionatedbookworm1).

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