Book excerpt: In late August, 1968, a teenage Chicago boy rode the el to Lincoln Park for an anti-war music festival, but soon found himself embroiled in massive marches and protests. He was harassed, chased, gassed, struck by billy clubs and even shot at--by the Chicago police--in what was ultimately deemed a "police riot," by the subsequent official investigation, Rights In Conflict. But over the next four days, he remained close to the pivotal events in the city parks, so that he might bear witness to his city gone mad.This is a true chronicle of his experiences during the week of the 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention. Even some of those who were there have been amazed by this detailed description of events. His account is interwoven with the eyewitness accounts of other participants, taken from previously unpublished interviews. Handbills, posters, newspapers, convention credentials, political buttons, and other paraphernalia--all from the author's collection--provide fascinating visual references and offer graphic evidence of this historic event. Three original maps help the reader pinpoint the events. In addition, more than 150 color and black and white photos appear throughout the narrative--most of them never before published.