Description: 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.
Brief description: W. J. Rorabaugh is Professor of History at the University of Washington, Seattle. His numerous books include The Alcoholic Republic: An American Tradition; Berkeley at War: The 1960s; Kennedy and the Promise of the Sixties (Cambridge University Press, 2002); and The Real Making of the President: Kennedy, Nixon, and the 1960 Election. Rorabaugh received his AB from Stanford University and his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.
Review Quotes: "W. J. 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