HONORABLE MENTION, Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award, Autobiography & Memoir!

Lifelong activist Judy Gumbo, an original member of The Yippies, a 1960s anti-war satirical protest group, offers an insider feminist memoir of her involvement with the Yippies, Black Panthers, women's rights, environmental actions, and a life of activism.

In 1968, a 24-year-old woman moved to Berkeley, California and immediately became enmeshed in the Youth International Party, aka The Yippies, an anti-war satirical protest group. In the next few years, Judy Gumbo (a nickname given her by Eldridge Cleaver), was soon at the center of counter-cultural activity?from protests in People's Park, to meetings at Black Panther headquarters, to running a pig for President at the raucous Democratic National Convention in Chicago, a protest that devolved into violent attacks by the police and arrests that led to the notorious Chicago Conspiracy Trial.

In this historical account, Gumbo reveals intimate details of?and struggles with?her fellow radicals Jerry Rubin, Anita & Abbie Hoffman, Eldridge Cleaver, Paul Krassner, Stew Albert, and more, detailing their experiences in radical protests. This deep dive into her activism includes details of her organization of a national women's rights group, her visit to North Vietnam during the war, her travels around the globe to promote women's liberation and anti-war protest, and her environmental activism. It also includes extensive excerpts from illegal wiretaps and surveillance by the FBI.

?A welcome addition to the literature of radical activism.? ?Kirkus Reviews ?A fun read and a valuable political document, long overdue.? ?Counterpunch

Yippie Girl explores Gumbo's life as a protester to show that, while circumstances always change, protesters can stay loyal to the causes they believe in and remain true to themselves. She also reveals how dogmatism, authoritarianism, and interpersonal conflict can damage those same just causes, offering a timeless and strategic guide for activists today protesting against injustice in all its forms.

Judy Gumbo is one of the few female members of the original Yippies, a satirical protest group who levitated the Pentagon to stop the Vietnam War, brought the New York Stock Exchange to a halt to ridicule greed and ran a pig named Pigasus for President at the 1968 Democratic Convention. Judy received her nickname "Gumbo" from Black Panther Party leader Elridge Cleaver. Judy went on to write for the Berkeley Barb and the Berkeley Tribe, helped start a women's group, visited the former North Vietnam in 1970 then travelled the globe agitating against the war and for the liberation of women. Judy has a Ph.D. in Sociology and spent the majority of her professional career as an award-winning fundraiser for Planned Parenthood. In 2013, Judy returned to Vietnam to help celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Paris Peace Accords. She returned to Vietnam again in 2019 where she was awarded a medal from the Vietnamese government for her contributions to peace and reconciliation. Judy is the widow of Yippie founder Stew Albert and of David Dobkin, a founder of Berkeley Cohousing. She is married to distinguished historian Arthur Eckstein. She currently lives in Berkeley, California.

"A sharp-edged memoir of years of protest and resistance.” —Kirkus Reviews "A fun read and a valuable political document, long overdue.” —Counterpunch

Lifelong activist Judy Gumbo, an original member of The Yippies, a 1960s anti-war satirical protest group, offers an insider feminist memoir of her involvement with the Yippies, Black Panthers, and her work in protest, women's rights, environmental actions, and a life of activism.

In 1968, a 24-year-old woman moved to Berkeley, California and immediately became enmeshed in the Youth International Party, aka The Yippies, an anti-war satirical protest group. In the next few years, Judy Gumbo (a nickname given her by Eldridge Cleaver), was soon at the center of counter-cultural activity—from protests in People's Park, to meetings at Black Panther headquarters, to running a pig for President at the raucous Democratic National Convention in Chicago, a protest that devolved into violent attacks by the police and arrests that led to the notorious Chicago Conspiracy Trial.

In this historical account, Gumbo reveals intimate details of—and struggles with—her fellow radicals Jerry Rubin, Anita & Abbie Hoffman, Eldridge Cleaver, Paul Krassner, Stew Albert, and more, detailing their experiences in radical protests. This deep dive into her activism includes details of her organization of a national women's rights group, her visit to North Vietnam during the war, her travels around the globe to promote women's liberation and anti-war protest, and her environmental activism. It also includes extensive excerpts from illegal wiretaps and surveillance by the FBI.

Yippie Girl explores Gumbo's life as a protester to show that, while circumstances always change, protesters can stay loyal to the causes they believe in and remain true to themselves. She also reveals how dogmatism, authoritarianism, and interpersonal conflict can damage those same just causes, offering a timeless and strategic guide for activists today protesting against injustice in all its forms.

Table of Contents

1. "Kill Your Parents”
2. From Communist Party to Hippie Pad
3. White Girl Meets Black Panthers
4. Rise Up and Abandon the Creeping Meatball
5. The Big Pig Fight
6. The Whole World Is Watching
7. "Stupid Revolutions”
8. Meet the Parents
9. Why the Women Are Revolting
10. Park Here Any Time
11. The Battles of Algiers
12. The Great Chicago 8 Conspiracy Trial
13. The American Girlfriend
14. Girl Dumps Boy
15. Hands Up!
16. I Didn't Do It but I Got Subpoenaed Anyway
17. The Guest Lesbian
18. My Body, Myself
19. Who Can I Trust?
20. Just Because You're Paranoid...
21. ...Doesn't Mean They Aren't Watching You
22. The '60s Events of the '70s
23. My Politics Have Not Changed