Customer Reviews

Memoirs of an Ex-Hippie: Seven Years in the Counterculture

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Just as the Beats immortalized their lives and times in such books as On The Road, Robert Roskind likewise commemorates the liberated lifestyle of the hippie era. This look back, while very personal, is also the archetype for a whole generation whose quest for freedom and the meaning of life led to some mind-blowing experiences. Whether it was dealing with parents and the "generation gap", or trying to avoid getting sent to Vietnam or tripping out on LSD at Altamont, we hippies trod the same path, often in the same places. This implies our common experience was a result of an underlying phenomenon that ultimately changed ourselves, our society and the world.

Roskind's nostalgic trip down hippie lane is a travelogue of life's alternative byways and an exploration of the communal mindset of the period. His honest recollections about his psychedelic drug use, run-ins with the cops, communal life, free love, and self-discovery were all part of the hippie trip. Roskind's tales of many cross-country journeys, picking up hitchhikers in his converted bus, leave us longing for those simpler times, when total strangers would become friends faster than you could light a joint. Those days are over now, but still very much alive for those who lived them.

While many original hippies "sold out" long ago and joined the "establishment", some of us have held true to our beliefs and continue to explore alternative lifestyles and businesses. Roskind likewise shows us his crisis of faith and how he resolved to live a life of service to others and carry on the hippie philosophy in practice. Having realized that Love is the answer to many of life's questions, he now teaches others the transcendental power of unconditional love through his books and lectures.

The only flaw I find in the book is its title. Roskind is no Ex-hippie. The hippie inside still lives on and his love for the hippie way and how it changed his life comes thru loud and clear in this well written autobiography. Memoirs of an Ex-Hippie is liberating reading, and will take the reader on the same voyage we all experienced back in the 60s, without drugs!

If one can look past the repeated grammatical errors, this book is a joy for any of us who were shaped by the events of the 60's and 70's. Roskind does a credible job of taking the reader along for his memorable ride. Through the retelling of his personal experiences he helps the reader revisit the utopian dream many of us had for a better world. While his experiences may have been unique, his hopes and dreams for a new and improved society were commonly held. For many of us this book is a ride down memory lane. For those who weren't there personally it is an interesting read and one that provides credible insight into the issues and answers of the era.

As Skip Stone points out, Roskind is not truly an "ex-hippie." Rather, he is a hippie who has further evolved. Like many, Roskind was profoundly shaped by the counterculture. Though he may have returned to the mainstream, the magic of the hippie years appears to be a significant ongoing influence.

Regrettably, the poor editing tarnished this otherwise pleasant read. The inconsistencies in dates and sequences could, perhaps, be overlooked. However, didn't we all learn in junior high English class that when we refer to ourselves as the sentence subject we use I, but as an object we use me? Perhaps Roskind skipped school that day, but how can this obvious error be repeated dozens of times in a published book? Where was the editor? Four stars for content, but one subtracted for editing.

First I want to say "Thank you" to Mr. Roskind for giving us such a great work that shows and teaches the children of your generation what it means to be truely free. Roskind takes you on an adventure that so many wish they could have taken, had we been born in time. ('71 for me) Eventhough he isn't preechy in his ideas of freedom and spirituality the reader cant help but take away what the essence of what both truely mean and then finding out how you fit in. Lots of fresh little gems of humor and intersting facts about why certain things are illegal. I loved reading about his experiences in the bay area and beyond. Since I'm from the Berkeley area it makes it even more interesting. I'm definatley looking forward to reading his other books.

This book is one of thoes that you can't put down, and end up reading over and over again. It takes you on a journey through life in the counterculture, begining with the Author's initiation via LSD. A truly remarkable book, very well written, I highly recommend it.

I wasn't planning on reviewing Robert Roskind's Memoirs of an Ex-Hippie: Seven Years in the Counterculture when I picked it up but after less than half way through I felt compelled to do just that. First, let me say that I'm pretty conservative in my politics and lifestyle. I was born during the fabled summer of love (dating myself here, I realize) but I'm pretty sure that had I been the author's age I would have never donned lovebeads or smoked anything more than the occasional clove cigarette. That said, this book really resonated with me. When I bought it, I expected it to be no more than a bunch of fluff. I am glad to report I was wrong.

Born in 1947, Roskind was born to a typical middle-class Jewish family in suburban Atlanta. (He looks so sweet in his bar mitzvah picture!) The Atlanta Jewish "ghetto" as it was affectionately called by its members was a very tight-knit community and he grew up feeling as though he were an integral part of a lively and loving clan. Perhaps if Roskind had been of college age in a different era, his experimentation with drugs would not have profoundly changed his life, but he was a student in Chapel Hill NC in the late 60's so naturally the drug he decided to experiment with was LSD. Roskind describes in detail his two-day-long acid trip (he'd inadvertently taken way too much), including a literal-out-of body experience that convinces him that the human spirit is not constrained by the body. But, as important, that all of the values that had been instilled into him such as financial ambition and societal institutions, were meaningless. Cue the Jefferson Airplane music: Roskind drops out of school, grows his hair, and sets out to find himself. Perhaps because Roskind had always felt safe within his "clan" as a child, he adopts other hippies as his new family. Traveling between the more traditional (and therefore hostile to hippies) Chapel Hill and the hippie mecca San Francisco bay area, Roskind thrives as he has lifelong friends in both places. His real home during this time is his converted school bus he lovingly names Louise (decked out complete with hiding places for his stash). After seven years commuting between communes, Roskind realizes that the counterculture movement has jumped the proverbial shark and the more traditional life beckons him. A master carpenter, Roskind moves to the West coast to begin teaching home improvement classes, where he eventually meets his wife. Intertwined throughout this memoir are Roskind's epiphanies about life, communal and otherwise.

Roskind is an articulate and insightful author; qualities I never thought I would attribute to a hippie, former or otherwise. He really set my entire preconceived notion of the 60's counterculture on its ear.

If you are at all interested in the counterculture, sexual revolution, communal living, or just a good travel story, you must read Memoirs of an Ex-Hippie: Seven Years in the Counterculture.

I loved this book! This book by far was the BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ! Roberts detail is amazing. I felt for a short while, while reading the book, that I time traveled back into this era. I wish I could have been alive during this time to experience the things Robert experienced. But just by reading this book, I feel as though I did experience them. I consider myself a modern day hippie, and reading this book just made me feel even more like a hippie! I have one other book from Robert, and I cant wait to read it. He is such a down to earth guy. I have emailed him and even got his signature on the books before he mailed them to me. Robert has honestly helped me to make decisions in my life. His book was that powerful. I think this book should be a mandatory book read in all high schools! This book will really change your life. My husband read this book and it has literally changed how we think about the world. I will forever remember Robert Roskind and this book. This book expands your mind and makes you think like you have never thought before. Robert and his book is truly about finding yourself, peace, love, and happiness, for ourselves and for the world. We need to have more hippies in this world!

This is a fun read. Other than a few insights into the differences between the "East Coast" and "West Coast" Hippies it is pretty much just a quick ride through Robert Roskind's life concentrating on his "on-the-road" period. All-in-all, worth reading if you are really into the '60's but there are better books from the period.

It would seem that Roskind was worried about the purity of LSD after it was made illegal by Uncle Sam. The L.A. Free Press newspaper published reports of free drug tests every week. The tests revealed nothing to fear.

"LSD became too dangerous to trust. People switched to the natural psychedelic alternatives like mescaline mushrooms and peyote cactus buttons."

Roskind cites Jay Stevens' "Storming Heaven; LSD and the American Dream," which doesn't agree with Roskind's contention. The popularity of LSD among young Baby Boomers didn't even begin while LSD was legal. For every legal LSD trip, there were thousands of illegal tabs. Barrel acid, windowpane, blotter acid, and microdots in colors from Blue Cheer to Orange Sunshine -- and those varieties were just the ones distributed in the USA.

The author really captured the spirit of the "hippie" era. Took me back to the bygone days of my youth. He doesn't glamorize it or degrade it, just writes about his experiences and of some of the interesting characters he meets. Communes, cannabis, travels, humor, adventure, it's all here. I highly reccommend this book, it is for all ages. He calls himself an Ex-Hippie, once you've been a hippie you really never become an Ex, the spirit of the era still lives in all of us, it's just that now we have money, homes, societal respectability, but inwardly, once a hippie, always a hippie.

Roskind's book is good in content. What I mean by this is that the experiences and the stories are all there, but the writing is not. His interesting (to say the least) experiences of living on communes and tripping out on cliffs are fantastic stories. However they are told somewhat poorly, and contain several grammatical errors.

The book is also titled "Memoirs of and Ex-Hippie", it is not labeled as an autobiography, which is what it seems to be. Rather than being a compilation of experiences, the book is very nostalgic and reflective. The way Roskind talks about "revolution" is also very nostalgic.

Overall, the experiences in the book are all there, but the writing is at times very nostalgic and grammatically incorrect, if you're really into all the hippie stuff, this provides good insight into what it was actually like, but you'll have to look past the poor writing.