Description: In March 1969, eight young men were indicted by the federal government for conspiracy to incite a riot. Some of them barely knew one another, having come together briefly to protest the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago and the war in Vietnam. First dubbed the "Conspiracy 8" and later the "Chicago 7," the group included firebrands like Abbie Hoffman and Bobby Seale, but also a little-known community activist and social worker named Lee Weiner, who was just as surprised as the rest of the country when his name was called. The ensuing trial was a media sensation, and it changed Weiner's life forever. But as he recalls in his memoir, the actions that brought him before a jury and a vindictive government were part of a long tradition of American radicalism that had shaped him from an early age and remain directly relevant to today's efforts to change America for the better. From Weiner's Jewish family's leftist political roots to wild anti-war demonstrations on the streets and high-profile political appointments, Conspiracy to Riot shows how commitment to your ideals can change your destiny--for better and for worse.
Brief description: Lee Weiner was born and raised on Chicago's south side. His activist life began with free-speech demonstrations at the University of Illinois in 1960, included community organizing in desperately poor neighborhoods in Chicago, and led to his indictment in the notorious Chicago 7 trial in 1969. His later political work included direct response fundraising for members of Congress and national nonprofit organizations. Along the way, he collected a couple of master's degrees and a PhD in sociology. He now lives near Tampa, Florida.