You Have Unleashed a Storm - by David Viola (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

The panoramic, untold story of domestic terrorism and political radicalism in '60s and '70s New York City and its echoes in our current moment

New York City in the 1960s was the beating heart of the United States, a global metropolis thriving on its abundance and diversity. But in a short time, "Gotham" went through an extraordinary transition. The postwar golden years gave way to a frantic era of social, political, racial, and economic turmoil. Groups with their own distinct ideological aims gained a presence in the city. And with this frenzied new era came a new wave of violence.

Terrorism has had an impact on the course of US history far greater and for far longer than is commonly understood. The ripple effects of this largely forgotten moment--and importantly, how the authorities countered--have played a significant role in how contemporary American life has unfolded.

Professor at the Center on Terrorism at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, David Viola unveils archival collections, newly declassified files, and preserved court records in this groundbreaking account of New York City's divergent radical groups, bringing to light a candid picture of remarkable people in a remarkable setting.

Review Quotes

"Lucid, judicious, thoroughly researched, and superbly written, David Viola provides a frightening and compelling new look at New York City in the 1970s as violent extremists on the Right and Left fabricated, planted, and exploded bombs in government offices and public places, wounding the innocent, destroying buildings, and terrifying New Yorkers."--David Nasaw, New York Times bestselling author of Andrew Carnegie

"Viola tells the harrowing--and until now all-but forgotten--story of how terrorists from every end of the political spectrum turned 60s New York City into a battleground, and the extremes the government went to in order to stop them."--Thomas Dyja, author of New York, New York, New York: Four Decades of Success, Excess, and Transformation

"You Have Unleashed a Storm is an engrossing, impressive, and timely addition to the canon of great NYC histories. With an all-too-rare combination of meticulous research and contagious enthusiasm for his subject, David Viola brings the chaos and electricity of '60s and '70s New York to life."--Jesse Rifkin, author of This Must Be the Place: Music, Community and Vanished Spaces in New York City

"In You Have Unleashed A Storm, David Viola documents the period of chaos and terrorism that rocked New York City in the 1960s and 70s, some three decades before 9/11. This history of violence, bombings, political intrigue, assassination attempts, undercover agents, and FBI informants is as thrilling as any fiction, but it all happened and is deeply reported. Many people may not fully remember the revolutionaries and extremists including the Weather Underground, the Black Panthers, Cuban Power, the FALN, the Jewish Defense League and the Yippies, but Viola brings them to life in a book that is as relevant today as when the bombs were going off in New York City."--George A. Hirsch