Thumbs Up: Memoir of a Joyful Organizer
The author’s journey through the seventies and beyond with the underground press, the Yippies and Zippies, his thumb, his Judaism, vegetarian catering, community organizing, emerging technology, and Emily. A funny, insightful, always hopeful memoir of a joyful writer, editor, dishwasher, Zen phony, and legendary historian of the underground press.
What Readers Are Saying
“Ken Wachsberger’s memoir is a captivating journey through the evolution of a gentle, courageous, and often hilarious man. His storytelling brings each moment to life, whether he’s dodging (or falling on) authorities at protests in the 70s, navigating the chaos of a catering business, or empowering others to share their stories through authorship. The book is well-written, blending vivid imagery with sharp wit, making you feel as if you’re right there alongside him. His experiences are not just entertaining but also deeply inspiring, showcasing resilience, activism, and a passion for making a difference in the world. The puke-in had me ROLLING!! This memoir is a must-read for anyone who appreciates a life well-lived and well-told. I LOVE IT!”
—Anne Bonney, keynote speaker and author of Get Over It! and Get Them Over It!
“As a long-time fan of Ken Wachsberger’s books, I give this remarkable memoir my heartiest Thumbs Up! Finally, he dishes all the “dirt” his admirers longed to know. From the transfixing tales of his ancestors, to his funny/not-funny stint in solitary as an “accidental revolutionary,” he goes on to find the love of his life and a career in the world of publishing. Wachsberger’s galloping prose traces the journey of a ‘70s activist through at least nine lives on his way to the 21st Century. His is a life and a book to be jubilantly celebrated and honored.”
— Sue Katz, wordsmith, rebel, and author of Lillian in Love and A Raisin in My Cleavage
“[S]pins a Kerouac-worthy tale of an adventure-filled life well spent. Full of fight and fun, THUMBS UP delivers on a beautiful family legacy and monumental archivist triumph with an irreplaceable volume of priceless people’s journalism.”
—Harvey “Sluggo” Wasserman, activist, author of Solartopia, The People’s Spiral of US History, and other green-inspired works, from his foreword to Thumbs Up
“For decades, Ken Wachsberger has done heroic work in archiving the truly independent media of the 20thcentury—newspapers filled with anti-war, LGBTQ+, Native American, Black, and feminist voices—and the stories behind them. In Thumbs Up, which bursts with love and hope, he candidly tells his own inspiring story—and explodes the notion that activism recedes with age.”
—Sean Howe, author of Agents of Chaos: Thomas King Forçade, High Times, and the Paranoid End of the 1970s
“This memoir is a gift, a cultural outbreak of joy in the dark time of the 1970s for our own dark time.”
—Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, feminist historian and author of An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States
“Ken Wachsberger’s Thumbs Up is a joy to read and far more than just another life’s tale of one man’s journey. It is a fascinating behind-the-scenes account of how thing really got done during his days as a wet-behind-the-ears activist marching through to his dogged—and successful—efforts to preserve much of the great array of material produced by the underground/alternative press during the Vietnam War. Wachsberger shares his hard-learned lessons that our intergenerational peers, the folks who are the age now that we were then, can apply as they pick up the struggle from us. And to give them confidence that when we organize we win.”
—Dennis Giangreco, author of Truman and the Bomb and over a dozen books on historical and sociopolitical subjects under D. M. Giangreco
Thumbs Up: Memoir of a Joyful Organizer
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
PART 1: I FALL OFF THE LADDER
Chapter 1: Making It in America
Chapter 2: I Become an Accidental Revolutionary
Chapter 3: The Trial of the MSU 132 and I Drop Out
PART 2: THE YIPPIES, THE ZIPPIES, AND THE UNDERGROUND PRESS
Chapter 4: I Join the Underground Press
Chapter 5: Busted with Davey at May Day 1971
Chapter 6: Joint Issue Becomes Free
Chapter 7: I Hit the Road to Madison
Chapter 8: The Short One with the Curly Hair and Beard
Chapter 9: Miami Beach, Summer 1972
Chapter 10: I Score in Cleveland, Then Write Lansing History
PART 3: I FIND TRUE LOVE
Chapter 11: Emily
Chapter 12: Emken Is Born
Chapter 13: Francine Hughes and the Burning Bed
Chapter 14: We Get Married
PART 4: REDISCOVERING JUDAISM IN LANSING
Chapter 15: Return to Lansing
Chapter 16: McGoff Off
Chapter 17: We Change Congregations
PART 5: LIFE BEGINS IN ANN ARBOR
Chapter 18: The Move to Ann Arbor
Chapter 19: I Organize Non-Politicos at Arbor Meadows
Chapter 20: We Leave Arbor Meadows
Chapter 21: Emken Arises Again
PART 6: THE UNDERGROUND PRESS GOES DIGITAL
Chapter 22: Brainstorming with Ed Wall
Chapter 23: “He’ll Cover the Underground Press”
Chapter 24: The Underground Press Digital Collection
PART 7: ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Chapter 25: EMU Lecturers Make History with First-Ever Bargaining Unit
Chapter 26: Writing for Healing and to Preserve Your Legacy
Chapter 27: Temple Beth Emeth Joins the Sanctuary Movement
Chapter 28: On the Road Again
APPENDIX