This is so shocking! I lived though this era as a young white man in California, poor but totally unaware of the inhumane conditions that the book portrays. My ignorance frightens me. I wonder what atrocities still exist in our world today, and what we can do to bring them to an end.
For 30 years it was playing music. Doesn't pay well - it was basically my food budget. I kept at it for 9 years anyway after I retired as a programmer. Some of the gigs were fun, and most of my friends are musicians.
I worked remote for 10 years. No promotions because all of the higher jobs required a physical presence in the office. In the last year, they shuffled me into a department that under-utilized me. Then they laid me off.
No real complaint, though. I was paid well, got a nice severance, and really didn't want the stress of climbing the corporate ladder anyway. Now I'm self-employed, part-time. All is well.
I was a teen in the 60's, in a small town in Pennsylvania. I had no problem getting information about the anti-war movement - it was everywhere. I migrated to San Francisco in 1967 to be a hippie. That movement and the protests were all over the news. The nation was polarized on the issue. Both sides were represented in the media. It was hard not to be affected by the films of atrocities on the nightly news.
Thanks! BBSing got me my first programming job in 1985. I ran several boards, including one for the company, before the web came along 10 years later. I really enjoyed your screen shots.