First published 1995
Writer Norman Mailer finds himself among thousands of protesters converging on Washington D.C. on October 21, 1967. The demonstrators march toward the Pentagon to demand an end to the Vietnam War while helicopters circle overhead and federal marshals wait with fixed bayonets. Mailer observes the clash between intellectuals and hippies, clergymen and police officers, poets and military personnel. He participates in the day's events while recording his perceptions of the unfolding drama. The narrative blends factual reporting with fictional techniques to capture what Mailer sees as experiential truth. The story unfolds against the backdrop of the Sixties counterculture movement, with its mixture of love and anger reaching a peak moment of confrontation with government authority.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, activism
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: experiential-truth, social-commentary
Setting: Washington D.C., Pentagon
Period: 1967
304 pages · Paperback · Plume