informative and sympathetic
Stefan Aust knew Andreas Baader personally, and has written one of the definitive books about him and the RAF. They were demonized in the right-wing press of the day, of course, just as protesters were prior to Iraq. Mr. Aust presents fairly the facts surrounding the never-resolved deaths of the RAF principles in a German prison. Officially suicide, but the facts do not support such a blanket conclusion, made within minutes of the discover of the bodies. Aside from the beautifully written (and translated) prose, and the facts made clear, Mr. Aust has written a book which, more than any other I have read, brings the cultural wars of the 70's into focus. The single-minded dedication to the 'cause' of anti-imperialism -- to the death, as it turned out -- of Andreas Baader and friends is clearly expostulated and sypathetically described.
