Tonight We Bombed the U.S. Capitol

June 15, 2019
A terrorism expert recounts the actions of a group "unlike any other American terrorist group," one "created and led by women." Rosenau (US Internal Security Assistance to South Vietnam, 2005, etc.), a senior research scientist at RAND who also served as a counterterrorism expert at the State Department, traces the seven-year run (1978-1985) of the May 19th Communist Organization (M19), a group of (mostly) women who banded together to oppose U.S. government policies of domestic oppression and international imperialism. Because these individuals--not "automata, relics, or spooks but agents of history willing to sacrifice everything to transform the world"--often relied on weapons to accomplish their goals, the author terms their activities "terrorism," but he uses the term "violent extremism" interchangeably. Rosenau begins by introducing the original brain trust, Judith Clark (b. 1949) and Susan Rosenberg (b. 1955). Later, the narrative takes on further complexity as the cast of characters and related revolutionary groups expands. The author eventually focuses on six additional women, as well as two men, as the linchpins of M19. All of them used one or more aliases hoping to avoid capture by law enforcement agencies; the welter of names can feel difficult to track, though the list of members and associates helps. Then Rosenau introduces "The Family," an associate group. Their names, plus their aliases, as well as their intermingling with M19 further complicate the narrative. Nonetheless, the author relies on skilled, detailed research to outline both the goals and violent practices of the revolutionaries. The titular bombing of the U.S. Capitol occurred on Nov. 7, 1983; less than a year later, M19 also bombed the South African consulate in New York City. Various bank robberies receive attention, some of which resulted in serious injuries or death. Most of the revolutionaries introduced end up apprehended and imprisoned, and Rosenau concludes that "the far-left terrorist project that began with the Weathermen in 1969...and continued...with May 19th ended in abject failure." An intriguing history that holds relevance to domestic terrorism in our current era.

COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 24, 2019
Journalist Rosenau makes his debut with a gripping, meticulously researched account of the May 19 Communist Organization, a female-led violent revolutionary group active in America from 1978 to 1985. The six women “created a new sisterhood of the bomb and gun,” Rosenau writes. Most were college rebels who were against racism, imperialism, and the Vietnam War. In the early days, the women were involved in breaking a bomb maker out of a New York prison and a botched Brink's armored car robbery in 1981 that left a guard and two cops dead. That was the act that put the women on the FBI’s radar and would ultimately lead to lengthy prison sentences for many. In 1983, the group bombed the U.S. capitol, causing $1 million in damages, and then embarked on a 20-month spree that saw five more bombings. By 1985, almost all of M19 had been caught, tried, and jailed. Of those still alive today, most have been pardoned or served their sentences, though Elizabeth Anna Duke, who went on the run in 1985, remains at large. This fascinating chronicle of a dark slice of American history deserves a wide audience. Rosenau is off to a strong start. Agent: Roger Freet, Foundry.

June 28, 2019

A Cold War expert, counterterrorism advisor, and former political scientist at RAND, Rosenau delves into the history of violent left-wing domestic terrorism in the 1970s and 1980s, specifically the Marxism-Leninism Communist group M19. Named for the "birthday shared by two of their ideological idols, Malcom X and Ho Chi Minh," the May 19th Communist Organization formed in 1978 with a revolutionary desire to wage war against U.S. imperialism, fascism, and racism. Years of underground plotting resulted in prison breakouts, bombings, and several attempted and successful armed robberies of Brink's armored trucks that resulted in the deaths of guards and police officers. Using extensive primary source material, Rosenau expertly weaves together court records, newspaper interviews, law enforcement reports, and interviews with retired FBI agents who worked on the case to put together a compelling narrative of the rise and fall of M19. VERDICT This multifaceted work will appeal to readers with an interest in U.S. national security, U.S. domestic terrorism, radical left-wing militancy, and U.S. law enforcement.--Crystal Goldman, Univ. of California, San Diego Lib.

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.