4 out of 5 stars
Well, okay. I was a little disappointed at first. Truth be told, I was looking for stories of drug-taking and depravity.
[It did lead me to further research into the hippie phenomenon, in other books. The result? I was already familiar with most of that stuff! It’s been exhaustively documented, championed, mystified and rehashed.
And it led me to one telling anecdote of sexism I found on the internet. It made me wonder how much of that got glossed over. A lot, I suspect. (See the comments at: http://ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com… )
Then there was the amusing anecdote of Allen Ginsberg’s participation in a leadership meeting of the hippie communes of NYC in the period-piece (1967) ‘The Hippies’ by Joe David Brown.]
Still, this book drew me in. I was rewarded with a thoughtful, insightful analysis of the cultural impact the hippies had on the countries along the ‘Hippie Trail’; indeed, the wider impact of Western mores on these societies. Fascinating, vital and timely – a lot of this history and perspective would’ve been lost, without this book. I think it’s good sociological reportage.
My compliments and thanks to the author for having the courage to address this story without rose-colored glasses.
***
as seen on my Goodreads review http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10322801-amy-eighttrack
Amyeighttrack's Blog 
July 24, 2013 at 1:21 pm
It is good to begin fasting with a little canola oil and then served with a sauce of fat-free ricotta,
whole grain mustard, horseradish, dieting recipes for dinner grated Parmesan and non-fay dried
milk. And if you overindulge at some point.
April 13, 2013 at 12:44 pm
Half the fun was the rose-coloured glasses…