Tonight We Bombed the U.S. Capitol: The Explosive Story of M19, America’s First Female Terrorist Group

Journalist Rosenau makes his debut with a gripping, meticulously researched account of the May 19 Communist Organization, a female-led violent revolutionary group active in America from 1978 to 1985. The six women “created a new sisterhood of the bomb and gun,” Rosenau writes. Most were college rebels who were against racism, imperialism, and the Vietnam War. In the early days, the women were involved in breaking a bomb maker out of a New York prison and a botched Brink's armored car robbery in 1981 that left a guard and two cops dead. That was the act that put the women on the FBI’s radar and would ultimately lead to lengthy prison sentences for many. In 1983, the group bombed the U.S. capitol, causing $1 million in damages, and then embarked on a 20-month spree that saw five more bombings. By 1985, almost all of M19 had been caught, tried, and jailed. Of those still alive today, most have been pardoned or served their sentences, though Elizabeth Anna Duke, who went on the run in 1985, remains at large. This fascinating chronicle of a dark slice of American history deserves a wide audience. Rosenau is off to a strong start. Agent: Roger Freet, Foundry. (Aug.)