My Whirlwind Lives: Navigating Decades of Storms.
A political memoir and Manifesto.
Publication forthcoming in 2022
Medea Benjamin
Co-founder, CodePink (codepink.org)
My Whirlwind Lives is a fast-paced and fascinating tour of a life filled with politics, passion and purpose. Knight takes us through decades of turmoil in the U.S. and overseas, and decades of movement building against war, injustice and destruction of the planet. The book is infused with Knight’s sweeping vision of a more humane world and his infectious sense of optimism. Read it and act.
Jeff Paterson
Co-founder, Courage to Resist (couragetoresist.org)
“Being a revolutionary is like being a midwife for the future,” writes Dee Knight. “While there is blood and pain, its essence is hope and excitement for a future we can begin to see ahead of us.”
From the movement against the Vietnam War in the 1960s, to revolutions in Portugal, Africa, and Latin America, to today’s movement for the Green New Deal, these stories of how real change happens are full of inspiration and valuable lessons for other aspiring revolutionaries.
This book makes a compelling case for the inseparability of the movements for an end to unjust war, for the rights of resisters, and for racial and economic justice. It’s a strong reminder that while revolutionary change is rarely quick or predictable, it requires that we keep organizing across our communities to be ready for these moments of opportunity.
With some luck and perseverance, another such opportunity may be right around the corner.
Gerry Condon
Vietnam era GI resister and former president of Veterans For Peace (veteransforpeace.org)
Dee Knight has written a most compelling account of his personal odyssey and political evolution. From a high schooler for Barry Goldwater, then dropping out of college to campaign for Eugene McCarthy in 1968, he became a leading Vietnam war resister in Canada. He witnessed revolutions in Portugal and Nicaragua, and became a committed socialist. This life story shares much with that of thousands of young people whose lives and world views changed when they were pushed to participate in unjust U.S. wars.
