Customer Reviews

Split: A Counterculture Childhood

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I heard Lisa Michaels interviewed on NPR a year or so ago and was impressed by the cogency and easy spirit with which she related some of the experiences of her young life.  The child of a pair of counterculture types in the 60s, Michaels carefully takes us on the trail her life has taken as a direct result of her parents and who they were, and who they became.  The picture on the front cover is of a three year old (herself) toting a Vietnamese flag on the National Mall that appeared on the back cover of Life magazine many years ago.  Her stikingly unapologetic tale traverses communes, road trips, political rallies, war protests, and even a jail visit to her father.  She manages to tell us about a fascinating childhood while at the same time careful not to either blame, or explain her parents and their views or lifestyles.   One reviewer puts it best, "...though it would be easy to caricature her sixties childhood or turn her parents into cartoon radicals, ...she does a beautiful job of conjuring up her youth in both its anomalous and ordinary detail."  This is a well-written and thoughtful book and one that leaves the reader with a comfortable view of what life was really like for her and her family during a turbulent time.

This memoir took me by complete surprise. I have never found a first person account that so perfectly described my own unarticulated feelings about coming of age in the late 60s and the 70s -- the weird feeling that you want to be more like "everyone else" when your parents allow you to do anything. It also shed light on the painful experience of divorce when you're a kid, and how hard it is shuttling between parents and adjusting to their different worlds. Lisa's writing is so spare, thoughtful, and quiet--I love how accepting she is of the paradoxes of her childhood, and her refusal to blame anyone. I look forward to reading any other book she might write.

Split is a beautifully written memoir. No cheap shots here, no bratty self-absorbed rants against loved ones. Lisa Michaels' life has not been particularly melodramatic thus far; Split is a thoughtful recounting of a colorful, mostly happy childhood and young adulthood. She is the child of a politically radical rather and a very intelligent hippie mother who...split...when she was a baby. This is an intimate portrait of divorce, of living in and sometimes strung between two households, a young girl/woman trying to find her place during personally and nationally tumultuous times. What distinguishes Michaels' book from the pack of ordinary memoirs is her keen memory, her compassion, her courage to tell things as SHE sees them rather than attempting to be the voice of her generation or the didactic parrot of her elders.Michaels has an amazing eye for detail, an excellent command of language, and an impressive ability to spin a yarn. She is witty, too. I have so much confidence in her writing I'd read three hundred pages about her expeditions to the grocery store or what she did for summer vacation; fortunately Split covers far more ground. A good read of particular interest to anyone who came of age in the 60s and 70s, whose parents were left of center, or anyone who is curious about how the young people born of this significant time have fared now that they are old enough to reflect on their own experiences.

This is a very well written account of coming of age in the milieu of activist, hippie parenting. Up until puberty the memoir is stirring and informative; however, as the author begins to mature, she loses sight of when to finish the story. The last half dragged and seemed trivial. Lisa seemed petulant and misguided. She resembled most adolescents and was therefore, less interesting. Many of the later anecdotes seemed warmed over and bland. The quality of writing was still very high but the substance was thin.

Lisa Michael's book is a reader's treat. A fresh, intelligent voice in a young writer. How fortunate to look back on one's life from the vantage point of a young adult with compassion, humor and love in spite of losses, pain and confusion, and shape it in a rich and comprehesible way. Michael's life, though unconventional, but not extreme, helped her become the emotionally mature and sensitive individual she appears to be. Though there are many accounts of the lives of 60's activists and hippies, there are few about the perceptions, tribulations and experiences of the children. To have an account of one child's life written with grace and style is a contribution. Politics and parenting are not the real issues here. Parents were dedicated and loving people all with their own complicated backgrounds and lives to live. It is Michael's succinct and poetic rendition of her feelings, authentic and open that is of interest. Her affection for the significant people in her lif! e is transmitted with enough warmth to make them all appealing. The chapters of her travels were not merely descriptive, but downright exciting. Her writing here was especially vivid and visual. The poignant scene of her wedding was an apt summation of her generosity, love and compassion. A longing for family and attatchment that so many of us are feeling.

I was drawn into this book from the opening scene, when Michaels comes upon a photo of herself as a young child at an anti-war rally in an issue of Life Magazine from the '60s. In beautiful prose, she vividly recalls and re-creates an unconventional, counterculture childhood--one that could not have been more different from my own, in most respects. Which is exactly why I found Michaels's story so fascinating. She's a great storyteller--the book is gripping, funny, touching, intelligent, fair. My partner read it, too, and also admired it, and we've since given copies to a friend and one of my sisters. Highly recommended.

I read this for a history class, with the purpose of deriving a larger significance of the 1960's. Being the child of two "counterculture" parents, I was hoping for some amazingly passionate, explosively activism-filled tale of a girl working toward social change. But this memoir left me disappointed and feeling like I had wasted my time. It felt like a wandering tale of a girl's childhood; though her upbringing was a stark contrast to the "nuclear" families of the 50's, I was hoping she would use that foundation as a base to do something with her life. I kept turning pages, waiting for her to find a cause to devote herself to, but then the book ended and I felt that it had built up to nothing. Perhaps I'm missing the bigger picture of this particular memoir, but I found myself sorely disappointed that the story of such a unique childhood didn't really seem to go anywhere. Aside from all that, it was easy to read, entertaining, and did indeed offer a fun look at an alternate childhood of the 60's.

I heard Lisa Michaels speak locally and finally got around to reading her book, Split. I read it in two sittings. This is more than a 60's childhood memoir; it is a candid look at family dynamics, divorce, American lifestyles and history. It is about the pain of being the new kid in the neighborhood and forming friendships. Lisa describes trying to find a sense of place as she moves around with her mother,who finally settles in a quaint northern CA valley. Meanwhile, Lisa tries to understand and get to know her father who served time in prison for radical activities. This is the journey of a girl going into young womanhood. It's about self discovery and education. Loved the adventures in India, and her narrative, descriptive style. I'm looking forward to reading her newest book.

This book is about a woman who struggles for concrete answers and from the beginnings of her reflections discovers time and time again that there is no right answer—only perspectives. It’s her struggle to put herself in these perspectives and to find her own perspective in life. To appreciate this book, don’t expect a “commercial” plot or a sensational lifestyle. It’s about evolution.

The language she writes with and her comparisons and metaphors are not cliché and don’t allow for any type of categorization or stereo type. She amazingly puts into words nuances that we all think of but may have trouble relating to others who are not inside our psyches. The language is poetic and precise.

I think Lisa Michaels tells a good story...but I found that her book stretched credibility just a little. Specifically all the political discussions with her parents--I, too, was a child of hippies, and I remember them doing their own thing and not spending a lot of time explaining it to their children. But my main gripe is, what do we learn from Michaels' life? Her conclusion (as she states on the last page) is that, "I can tell stories." Well, yes. I guess I just wanted a little more.