CUNY DIGITAL HISTORY ARCHIVE

This handbook, a precursor to today's "disorientation" guides, offered incoming students a view of life at BMCC from the perspective of radicals in organizations that included the New University Conference, Third World Coalition, Night Students Association, and Women's Liberation. A self-published document  imbued with the irreverent spirit of its time, the People's Handbook collected pointed critiques of BMCC and CUNY administration and included drawings, cartoons, and a list of resources for "surviving in the city." The book's cover reads "You have the power. The power is with the people," while the back cover declares: "Advocating the overthrow of the government is a crime. Overthrowing it is something else altogether—sometimes it is called a revolution."