Counterculture, while commonly used to describe youth-oriented movements during the 1960s, refers to any attempt to challenge or change conventional values and practices or the dominant lifestyles of the day. This fascinating three-volume set explores these movements in America from colonial times to the present in colorful detail. "American Countercultures" is the first reference work to examine the impact of countercultural movements on American social history. It highlights the writings, recordings, and visual works produced by these movements to educate, inspire, and incite action in all eras of the nation's history. A-Z entries provide a wealth of information on personalities, places, events, concepts, beliefs, groups, and practices. The set includes numerous illustrations, a topic finder, primary source documents, a bibliography and a filmography, and an index.

The political and cultural upheaval of the '60s has become a subject blighted by misconceptions and stereotypes. To many, it is synonymous with widespread drug abuse, failed social experiments, and general irresponsibility. Despite sustained public interest, few remember that many of the freedoms and rights Americans enjoy today are the direct result of those who defied the established order during this tumultuous period. It was an era that challenged both mainstream and elite American notions of how politics and society should function. In Generation on Fire, Jeff Kisseloff's continuing work in oral history, witnesses speak about their motives and actions during the 1960s through the present. Kisseloff provides an eclectic and highly personal account of the political and social activity of the decade. Among other things, the book offers firsthand accounts of what it was like to face a mob's wrath in the segregated South and to survive the jungles of Vietnam. It takes readers inside the courtroom of the Chicago Eight and into a communal household in Vermont. From the stage at Woodstock to the playing fields of the NFL and finally to a fateful confrontation at Kent State, Generation on Fire brings the '60s alive again. In this riveting collection of never-before published interviews, Generation on Fire unapologetically contextualizes the world of the 1960s, illuminating the ingrained social and cultural obstacles facing those working for change as well as the courage and shortcomings of those who defied "acceptable" conventions and mores. Sometimes tragic, sometimes hilarious, the stories in this volume celebrate the passion, courage, and independent thinking that led a generation to believe change for the better was possible.

American avant-garde writers, sharing a certain distrust of the virtues of progress and power, came together in the 1950s and 1960s. They wrote so persuasively about what they saw as repressive social and political conditions in the United States that they helped to bring about changes in the consciousness of many young Americans who read their poems and novels and were caught up in their spirit of rebellion. Poets, novelists, and nonconformist thinkers, collectively known as The Beats and profiled in this DLB volume, signaled the presence of something new in American writing-vivid descriptions of a lifestyle that rejected materialistic values and went in search of a deeper meaning to life. They stated their case in speech rhythms and subjects that were distinctly American. William Burroughs summed up the movement: "Once started ...the Beat movement had a momentum of its own and a world-wide impact...\[it] came at the right time and said something that millions of people of all nationalities all over the world were waiting to hear."66 entries include: Paul Blackburn, William S. Burroughs, Neal Cassady, Bob Dylan, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Ken Kesey, Norman Mailer, Peter Orlovskyv, Alan Watts and William Carlos William.Definitive work on the writers of the Beat Generation...a Valuable reference work for scholars and followers of that era.

This bibliography documents the most significant events in America from 1960 through the resignation of President Nixon in 1974. It includes entries for more than 1,300 books related to that period. Some were written during the 1960s and directly influenced and described that era. Others were written later and analyze and interpret the decade. The entries are arranged in 17 topical chapters on topics such as the presidencies, social protests, the impact of the Vietnam war, the cultural revolution, and trends in music, art, literature, and religion. Each entry includes a descriptive and evaluative annotation. The author, title, and subject indexes add to the value of the book as a reference.

"In The ABC-CLIO Companion to the 1960s Counterculture in America, author Neil A. Hamilton systematically illuminates the social, cultural, and political revolution with entries covering groups such as the hippies, Diggers, Yippies, and Weathermen; individuals including Abbie Hoffman, Andy Warhol, Russell Means, and Stokely Carmichael; and events such as Watts, the Tripps festival, Woodstock, and various "be-ins."" "Broadly defining the counterculture as any cultural or political challenge to mainstream values and practices of the day, Hamilton traces the counterculture's spread across America, far beyond its San Francisco Bay Area origins. He also examines the sweeping changes in the period's music, art, clothing, language, and personal practices." "Perfect for high school, college, and public libraries, this unique encyclopedia's complete compilation of the 1960s upheaval will also be of special use to students of sociology, recent U.S. history, and popular culture."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved