American Hippies by W J Rorabaugh
In the late 1960s and early 1970s hundreds of thousands of white middle-class American youths suddenly became hippies. This short overview of the hippie social movement in the United States examines the movement's beliefs and practices, including psychedelic drugs, casual sex, and rock music, as well as the phenomena of spiritual seeking, hostility to politics, and communes. W. J. Rorabaugh synthesizes how hippies strived for authenticity, expressed individualism, and yearned for community. Viewing the tumultuous Sixties from a new angle, Rorabaugh shows how the counterculture led to subsequent social and cultural changes in the United States with legacies including casual sex, natural foods, and even the personal computer.
'WJ. Rorabaugh brings the clarity of close historical research to the colorful chaos of the counterculture. In the process, he helps both old and young readers gain a better understanding of the late sixties and early seventies.' Edward Berkowitz, George Washington University, Washington DC
'Rorabaugh's American Hippies is the most comprehensive account I know of the strange escape routes the young sought from a suffocating culture, and what happened when their search for another way of life landed them in a rich but morally impoverished world that wasn't ready for them.' Todd Gitlin, Columbia University, New York
'Here, finally, is a comprehensive, balanced, and refreshingly accessible account of the origins, values, lifestyle, and legacy of the sixties counterculture. Rorabaugh's broadly focused, concise, and compulsively readable synthesis is a most welcome addition to the expanding, though often overly specialized and case-specific, literature on the hippies. I look forward to introducing American Hippies to my students.' Gretchen Lemke-Santangelo, St Mary's College, California
'In his brief yet effective survey of the hippies of the 1960s and early 1970s, historian Rorabaugh presents a topical overview … The book's overriding themes, which Rorabaugh summons in his conclusion as 'hippie legacies', are authenticity, individualism, and community … Whereas most studies treat political radicals of the sixties as distinctly separate from hippies, Rorabaugh examines the relationship between the two camps in an effective chapter. He concludes with an insightful chapter on communes, the essential example of community. Rorabaugh achieves a nice balance, recognizing the hippie imprint without waxing nostalgic, acknowledging hippie naiveté and anti-intellectualism without becoming hypercritical. Summing up: recommended.' A. J. Dunar, Choice
'Rorabaugh's American Hippies is the most comprehensive account I know of the strange escape routes the young sought from a suffocating culture, and what happened when their search for another way of life landed them in a rich but morally impoverished world that wasn't ready for them.' Todd Gitlin, Columbia University, New York
'Here, finally, is a comprehensive, balanced, and refreshingly accessible account of the origins, values, lifestyle, and legacy of the sixties counterculture. Rorabaugh's broadly focused, concise, and compulsively readable synthesis is a most welcome addition to the expanding, though often overly specialized and case-specific, literature on the hippies. I look forward to introducing American Hippies to my students.' Gretchen Lemke-Santangelo, St Mary's College, California
'In his brief yet effective survey of the hippies of the 1960s and early 1970s, historian Rorabaugh presents a topical overview … The book's overriding themes, which Rorabaugh summons in his conclusion as 'hippie legacies', are authenticity, individualism, and community … Whereas most studies treat political radicals of the sixties as distinctly separate from hippies, Rorabaugh examines the relationship between the two camps in an effective chapter. He concludes with an insightful chapter on communes, the essential example of community. Rorabaugh achieves a nice balance, recognizing the hippie imprint without waxing nostalgic, acknowledging hippie naiveté and anti-intellectualism without becoming hypercritical. Summing up: recommended.' A. J. Dunar, Choice
William J. Rorabaugh is professor of history at the University of Washington, Seattle. He is the author of The Alcoholic Republic: An American Tradition, The Craft Apprentice: From Franklin to the Machine Age, Berkeley at War: The 1960s and Kennedy and the Promise of the Sixties. Donald T. Critchlow is professor of history at Saint Louis University. He is the founding editor of the Journal of Policy History, and the author of a number of books, including Intended Consequences: Birth Control, Abortion, and the Federal Government and Studebaker: The Life and Death of an American Corporation. Paula Baker is associate professor of history at the Ohio State University and is the author of The Moral Framework of Public Life: Gender, Politics, and the State in Rural New York, 1870-1930, editor of Money and Politics, and co-editor of Major Problems in American History since 1945.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781107627192 |
| ISBN 10 | 1107627192 |
| Title | American Hippies |
| Author | W J Rorabaugh |
| Series | Cambridge Essential Histories |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| Year published | 2015-06-17 |
| Number of pages | 245 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |