Customer Reviews

The Hippie Dictionary

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

On page 20 I learned that Alechemy was, really, about changing material things (and not spiritual things) but this kind of esotericism might be missed w/o a fascination with religious history.
On page 26 I learned that Gerald Ford was president in 1970, granting Amnesty to Vietnam Draft Dodgers... (Nixon was President then...)
On page 32 I learned that the Aryans got their name from Arius of Alexandria (confusing "Arians" and "Aryans").
... The content shows a distinct lack of research in several areas. The scope is wide and wonderful and I would have been happy to add this to my trivia collection, but I can't trust any of it given the amazing errors I've found in the first 30 pages.

I reviewed the first edition of this book on 27 August 2002 (about ten reviews down), so click through if you want to read what I originally wrote. This review is for the second edition.

Here's all I'll say about the content: the revised and expanded edition, just like the first, is an extended argument for keeping The Dream alive. If, like me (and, obviously, John Bassett McCleary), you know there was something more to 'the Sixties' than a bunch of kids getting stoned and having sex, then you'll appreciate this book not only as a reference but as a 'tickler file' for your psyche.

The main thing is, what's new in _this_ edition? Well, there are about fifty more pages of text. (The official page count has risen from 663 to 704. But the page numbering has also been adjusted: the entries, which used to start on page 12, now start on page 1 and the forematter is numbered with lowercase Roman numerals. By my count that's an increase of 52 pages.) As you'd expect, some entries are new and others are longer than they used to be.

But probably the most important thing for you to know is that McCleary and/or his editor (Joan Jeffers McCleary) have gone over the earlier edition carefully and fixed the errors that have been noted in some of the earlier reviews of this book. There was, for example, some extraneous material included in the very first entry ('A'); now it's gone. The others -- all the ones I know about, anyway -- have been corrected.

The McClearys deserve a big round of applause for the quick turnaround time. (The first edition is only two years old.) In my original review I rather unwillingly deducted maybe half a star for that stuff; it was obviously the result of deadline pressure, but this is still a reference book and factual mistakes count. In this review I'm happy to give the half-star back.

Everything else I said in my earlier review still applies. As McCleary writes, our society threw the baby out with the bathwater in rejecting hippie ideals; what's most important here is to recognize the 1960s as a period of _experimentation_. Anybody who wants to devote some thoughtful attention to the results of those experiments will find plenty to think about in this book. There's a lot here, but there's nothing you need to 'believe' -- just take it seriously enough to let it roll it around in your mind for a while.

With this edition a cool book has gotten cooler. Don't miss it.

I originally bought this book to share with my two daughters, who (at my wife's instigation) have lately taken to calling me "Hippie Dippie Joe." But it's so cool that I read and enjoyed it myself.

John Bassett McCleary has done a nice job on this book. This isn't just a dictionary or a "hippie glossary"; though it includes lots of words and phrases from the common countercultural parlance of the 1960s and '70s, it also includes (short) historical and ideological summaries, together with some stuff you wouldn't expect to find in such a source.

(Here's one example: McCleary quite rightly devotes many pages' worth of attention to the computer/Internet revolution, which probably a lot of people _still_ don't realize is part of the hippie legacy. McCleary has also starred the entries for the people he regards as most influential -- e.g. Dr. King -- and the words/phrases that have had the most impact -- e.g. "cool." And there are pages and pages and pages of lists at the back of the book.)

There are a few glitches that force me to deduct a little bit from his rating. For example, McCleary consistently refers to Henry David Thoreau's essay "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience" as a "book" -- and, moreover, claims to have found the phrase "Question Authority" in it. This isn't a serious problem but there are enough little things like it that I can't award full points to what is, after all, supposed to be a reliable reference book. On the other hand, most of this stuff is so clearly the result of deadline pressure that I hate to deduct more than half a star, so let's just say I'm rating it at 4.5 stars.

McCleary does pretty much everything else just right. I'd like to have seen a bit more about the influence of science fiction on 1960s ideals (and maybe even an entry on SF writer Spider Robinson, whose work deliberately and consistently embodies those ideals). But McCleary does work in some references to SF; indeed his list of relevant period literature includes not one but _two_ novels by Robert A. Heinlein. (He also makes liberal use of the term "grok," although his spelling of it is inconsistent.)

And I agree with so many of McCleary's own evaluations that I wonder whether we've been reading each others' minds. His entries on, e.g., Stephen Gaskin, Willie Nelson, and James Taylor are just right, and his entry on the meaning of "true hippie" is smack on the mark. (And I'm glad he kept his historical summaries short; the book would have swelled to unmanageable size if he'd devoted more than a paragraph or two to each event.)

In short, this isn't just a reference; it's an extended argument for keeping The Dream alive. As McCleary writes under the entry for "true hippie," if the world had listened to the hippies thirty years ago, 9/11 wouldn't have happened. (And of course I do mean "the world," including especially the terrorists themselves.)

In that spirit -- keeping the fire alive, that is -- you may want to pick up Skip Stone's uneven _Hippies A to Z_ as a short companion volume.

(Note: If you buy this book for your kids to read, be aware that there's _lots_ of stuff about sex in it. I'm not saying that's bad, just letting you know. My kids think that stuff is a hoot, but your kids aren't my kids.)

If you want to learn more about the American counterculture of the 1960s and 70s, or of that era in general, THE HIPPIE DICTIONARY is both very informative and a lot of fun. It's got all kinds of entries that were common topics at the time, from summaries about historical figures such as Martin Luther King, to slang terms for.....all sorts of things. Many entries are updated to more recent times if necessary. Most of the book is arranged alphabetically, and at the end there are also some very helpful lists about the era, such as important books, movies, civil rights leaders, and so on. At about 700 pages, there's plenty to peruse. Lately I've been reading a great original documents book entitled The Sixties Papers: Documents of a Rebellious Decade, so I make sure to keep THE HIPPIE DICTIONARY close by to look up persons, places, and terms that THE SIXTIES PAPERS sometimes does not explain much about.

Usually the entries are very satisfying, but there are a few cases where I wish the book would tell more. For instance, in the entry on Jerry Garcia of the rock group The Grateful Dead, McCleary states the great importance of Garcia to the hippie era, yet oddly he gives a short entry on him and refers the reader to other sources of information. There are several entries like that in the book, and some related entries that are near duplicates, such as those on Playboy and Hugh Hefner. This is why I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5.

McCleary tells it like it was, so anyone prudish about colorful language might be offended. I suspect that that and/or the liberal philosophy promoted herein is why some reviewers unfairly denounce this book. The author is himself an adherent to the 1960s counterculture ideals such as environmental protection, peace, non-materialism, tolerance of other cultures and beliefs, and other such radical notions, all of which he often promotes in the book. Thus, anyone of a like mindset will find a kindred spirit here, but even if you disagree with its philosophy, THE HIPPIE DICTIONARY is still a good reference book and should be judged as such.

A fascinating exploration of the language and lifestyle of the Hippie era. Also, a serious historical accounting of one of the most politically explosive and spiritually enlightening times that America and the world has witnessed. McCleary has captured all of it and should be lauded for his attention to detail, and his willingness to say what many of us "ex-hippies" still feel. A must read for anyone who lived through the changes, or wants a better grasp of what that period was all about. Love Is All You Need!

The author definitely defines with a strong bias, but makes no pretense at anything else, so it's not offensive. While I didn't agree with his take on every issue, it was sure a flash down memory lane! I gave a copy to my 28 yr old daughter for Christmas. It will be a great reference every time questions come up like, "Who were the Chicago Seven and what was their story?", or Timothy Leary, or Angela Davis, or Huey Newton.......I am ordering another copy now for an old hippie friend's birthday.

This book is not only informative, it is pure entertainment! Fourteen friends and family members sitting around trying to "Stump the Dictionary". We couldn't. This book came through with flying colors! It had every expression, writer, political advocate (both male and female)included! The descriptions were accurate and informative. It is very interesting to see what each person remembers from their 60's-70's experiences. I can almost guarantee it will be included!!

Jam-packed (over 700 pages!) with fascinating info from a bygone era that vowed and did change our lives forever. The author has done a great job of capturing a lot of the excitement and turmoil that occurred and making us feel as if we were there! It's educational, it's entertaining, it's just a great book to learn more about the hippie era of the 60s. I'd highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to learn more about that period of time.

This book was not to my liking in the least. It completely misses many words and phrases that I recall were very essential to the alternative life style vocabulary of the sixties and seventies. At best, it's a "desk-top" dictionary for nouveau hippie wantabes.

Thoroughly researched and fun to read! Great vernacular of the era that is written in a humorous way to be both educational and entertaining,yet it's easy to read. It's the best book on the subject that I've seen on the market. I thought I knew it all but even I learned some new information on hippies. Highly recommended for anyone doing research or just wanting to peek at one of the most exciting periods in history.