Direct Action: Memoirs of an Urban Guerrilla is a book written by the Canadian anarchist Ann Hansen after she had been incarcerated for eight years for the bombing of the Litton Industries about the urban guerrilla Direct Action (also known as Squamish Five and Vancouver Five). In the book, Hansen concedes tactical mistakes, but maintains the necessity of militant opposition to capitalist states.
It was published in the US by the anarchist book publisher AK Press on January 1, 2001 and simultaneously in Canada by Between the Lines Books. An audio release on CD was released by the left-wing Canadian record label G7 Welcoming Committee Records on October 14, 2003 under the name Direct Action: Reflections on Armed Resistance and the Squamish Five.
Famous quotes containing the words direct, memoirs and/or urban:
“O wretched fool,
That lov’st to make thine honesty a vice!
O monstrous world! Take note, take note, O world,
To be direct and honest is not safe.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“There are people who can write their memoirs with a reasonable amount of honesty, and there are people who simply cannot take themselves seriously enough. I think I might be the first to admit that the sort of reticence which prevents a man from exploiting his own personality is really an inverted sort of egotism.”
—Raymond Chandler (1888–1959)
“And New York is the most beautiful city in the world? It is not far from it. No urban night is like the night there.... Squares after squares of flame, set up and cut into the aether. Here is our poetry, for we have pulled down the stars to our will.”
—Ezra Pound (1885–1972)