Customer Reviews

The New Left Revisited (Critical Perspectives on the Past)

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I have to admit to being less than enthusiastic about this book when I purchased it, given the fact that most of the young authors featured here were old enough to have consciously experienced, much less to actually remember, the tumultuous sixties and the so-called new-left politics that informed and characterized them. Yet, after having dutifully plowed through the well-written and quite thoughtful essays, I do have to admit that it does in fact now seem as though that is really possible to gain the sixties geist (or at least some reasonable facsimile of it). With verve and style to spare, the various authors trace the consequences of `New Left' thought, and add some new twists and turns to its utility and value as a heuristic political perspective in understanding and approaching contemporary American society.

The range of authors included in this entertaining and edifying collection of essays is interesting, from David Cochran to Michael Foley, from Jennifer Frost to Andrew Hunt, and from David McBride to Gregg Michel. And there are a number of notable others here, as well. The book is carefully co-edited by John McMillian and Paul Buhle. What is so refreshing about the book is the fact that it seems to breathe fresh air into the rather moribund corpse of so-called New Left thought, thereby rendering it much more approachable and much more palatable a vehicle for contemporary criticism and cultural comment regarding the currents of contemporary political thought. This is a book that many of my peers among the sixties generation will find engaging and enjoyable. I recommend the book for all of these reasons. Enjoy!