Voices of the Chicago Eight

Book published to commemorate the 40th anniversary of The Chicago Trial. The popular documentary "The Chicago Ten" and an as yet unnamed film directed by Steven Spielberg will -- and have --revived popular consciousness, and youth interest, about the pivotal events of 1968. Radio: Promote book to the Pacifica Network, and community radio stations around the country as a good premium to offer during fundraisers. If Tom Hayden is available for interview, this will be offered, as well. (Once the DVD of "The Chicago 10" is available, suggest that stations pair the book and the DVD as premiums. ) TV: Send pitch to The Daily Show, citing Hayden's successful appearance on The Colbert Report. Print: Book isn't likely to get reviews as there isn't much new material, but may be sent to journalists who are interested in interviewing Tom Hayden and / or writing about the events of 1968. Send to The Nation, as Hayden is on the Editorial Board. Send to the LA Times (his hometown paper). NY Times. NY Review of Books. Web: Promote book on Tom Hayden's web site (tomhayden.com), The Huffington Post (where he has a column), & Truthdig.com, where he has allies. Tour: Hayden has been invited to many '68 commemorative events this year. We'll follow his lead, and make sure that books are for sale at these events. Academic: Promote book to Theater Arts departments. Hayden will write a personal letter recommending the book to teachers.

Transcripts from the explosive trial are paired with historic contextual writings to provide the "Essential Chicago Conspiracy Handbook."The explosive protests and police riots outside the 1968 Democratic National Convention and the ensuing conspiracy trial gave voice to the tumultuous politics of the time. Frank Condon and Ron Sossi have crafted a dramatically gripping playscript from a careful selection of actual court transcripts, accompanied here by an introduction and historical reflections written by Tom Hayden, one of the original defendants. This potent book captures the trial's original energy, its confrontational and sometimes theatrical tactics, and its absolute outrage.