Melvin Small has taught and lectured about the peace movement for three decades. Past president of the Council
on Peace Research in History, he teaches at Wayne State University and is the author of several books on the Vietnam
War including Johnson, Nixon, and the Doves and Covering Dissent.
Review
"In this superb overview of the antiwar movement during the 1960s-1970s, Small again demonstrates his mastery
of the literature and his skill in using memorable quotes from both sides to highlight the individuals who changed
America and the events that marked that transformation."
--Walter LaFeber, Cornell University, author of America, Russia, and the Cold War, 1945-2001
"Antiwarriors is finely balanced history of the antiwar movement that is mature in its judgements, persuasively
argued, and a crisply written account of a passionate period."
--Marilyn B. Young, Professor of History, New York University, author of The Vietnam Wars, 1945-1990
Scholarly Resources, Inc. Web Site, January, 2003
Summary
The anti-Vietnam War movement marked the first time in American history that record numbers marched and protested
to an antiwar tune--on college campuses, in neighborhoods, and in Washington. Although it did not create enough
pressure on decision-makers to end U.S. involvement in the war, the movement's impact was monumental. It served
as a major constraint on the government's ability to escalate, played a significant role in President Lyndon B.
Johnson's decision in 1968 not to seek another term, and was a factor in the Watergate affair that brought down
President Richard Nixon.
At last, the story of the entire antiwar movement from its advent to its dissolution is available in Antiwarriors:
The Vietnam War and the Battle for America's Hearts and Minds . Author Melvin Small describes not only the origins
and trajectory of the anti-Vietnam War movement in America, but also focuses on the way it affected policy and
public opinion and the way it in turn was affected by the government and the media, and, consequently, events in
Southeast Asia.
Leading this crusade were outspoken cultural rebels including Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin, as passionate about
the cause as the music that epitomizes the period. But in addition to radical protestors whose actions fueled intense
media coverage, Small reveals that the anti-war movement included a diverse cast of ordinary citizens turned war
dissenter: housewives, politicians, suburbanites, clergy members, and the elderly.
The antiwar movement comes to life in this compelling new book that is sure to fascinate all those interested in
the Vietnam War and the turbulent, tumultuous 1960s.
