The Portable Sixties Reader (Penguin Classics) by Charters Ann (2002-12-31) Paperback

by Ann Charters

A literary time capsule from the decade that changed the world From civil rights to free love, JFK to LSD, Woodstock to the Moonwalk, the Sixties was a time of change, political unrest, and radical experiments in the arts, sexuality, and personal identity. In this anthology of essays, poetry, and fiction by some of America's most gifted writers, renowned sixties authority Ann Charters sketches the unfolding of this most turbulent decade. Organized by thematically linked chapters chronicling important social, political, and cultural movements, The Portable Sixties Reader features such luminaries as Martin Luther King, Jr., James Baldwin, Alice Walker, Robert Lowell, Eudora Welty, Bob Dylan, Malcolm X, Susan Sontag, Denise Levertov, Norman Mailer, Allen Ginsberg, Hunter Thompson, William S. Burroughs, Timothy Leary, Ken Kesey, Lenny Bruce, Ishmael Reed, Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, Rachel Carson, and Gary Snyder. The concluding chapter, "Elegies for the Sixties," offers tributes to ten figures whose lives--and deaths--captured the spirit of the decade.Cover photograph by Herbert Orth/TimePix.Contributors that wouldn't fit in the author Mailer, Dave Mandel, Peter Matthiessen, Michael McClure, Country Joe McDonald, Thomas Merton, Kate Millett, Janice Mirikitani, N. Scott Momaday, Anne Moody, Larry Neal, Tim O'Brien, Charles Olson, Dan Paik, Rosa Parks, Sylvia Plath, Allen Polite, Dudley Randall, Ishmael Reed, Carolyn M. Rodgers, Muriel Rukeyser, Edward Sanders, Richard Schmorleitz, Anne Sexton, Gary Snyder, Valerie Solanas, Susan Sontag, Gloria Steinem, Hunter S. Thompson, Sally Tomlinson, Calvin Trillin, Eric Von Schmidt, Diane Wakoski, Alice Walker, Lew Welch, Eudora Welty, Malcolm X, & Al Young

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Essays, Anthologies, Classics, Poetry, Politics

Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Annemarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was a good read for me, if only because the thought of being put through darma bums or on the road yet again makes my ass tighten in ways that are not attractive. this offered a decent sampling, primarily because it downplayed a lot of the sixties staples in favor of offering a wider spectrum.

[Raissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Sometimes I caught my mother digging through old photo albums or staring at the wall or out the window. She'd get that look on her face that I knew meant she missed my father. Not enough to want him back. She missed him just enough for it to hurt." - Sherman Alexie, Because My Father Always Said He Was the Only Indian Who Saw Jimi Hendrix Play 'The Star-Spangled Banner' at Woodstock

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost two years later, I've finally finished this excellent collection of fiction and nonfiction writings drawn from the social and literary movements of the 1960s. Reading this has definitely expanded my appreciation for the 1960s as an era and helped me better understand its relevance to contemporary politics.

[Kari Burk · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're like me and born in the sixties and curious about this era's cultural activity then you'll find this a very satisfying read. I'm grateful that our local library recently added this book to its collection. I found it on the 'new books' display, borrowed it and renewed it three times (the limit of renewals a person is allowed!) and was telling my Mum how much I enjoyed this book and wasn't she 'Mumzy of The Year' to ask me if she can buy this book for me! When it came in the mail I held it to my chest and cried as if I'd received important news from a loved one. An excellent collection of poets, playwrights and environmentalists writing in this decade.

[David Withun · Rating 4 out of 5]

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[Jamil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dylan - "The Lonseome Death of Hattie Carroll"
Yusef Komunyakaa - "2527th Birthday Of The Buddha"
Yusef Komunyakaa - "Nude Interrogation" :

"DID YOU KILL ANYONE OVER THERE? Angelica shifts her gaze from the Janis Joplin poster to the Jimi Hendrix, lifting the pale muslin blouse over her head. The blacklight deepens the blues when the needle drops into the first groove of "All Along the Watchtower." I don't want to look at the floor. Did you kill anyone? Did you dig a hole, crawl inside, and wait for your target? Her miniskirt drops into a rainbow at her feet. Sandalwood incense hangs a slow comet of perfume over the room. I shake my head. She unhooks her bra and flings it against a bookcase made of plywood and cinderblocks. Did you use an M-16, a hand-grenade, a bayonet, or your own two strong hands, both thumbs pressed against that little bird in the throat? She stands with her left thumb hooked into the elastic of her sky-blue panties. When she flicks off the blacklight, snowy hills rush up to the windows. Did you kill anyone over there? Are you right-handed or left-handed? Did you drop your gun afterwards? Did you kneel beside the corpse and turn it over? She's nude against the falling snow. Yes. The record spins like a bull's eyes on the far wall of Xanadu. Yes, I say. I was scared of the silence. The night was too big. And afterwards, I couldn't stop looking up at the sky."

Andrew Gordon - "Smoking Dope With Thomas Pynchon: A Sixties Memoir"
William S. Burroughs - "The Coming of the Purple Better One"
Sherman Alexie - "Because My Father Always Said He Was the Only Indian Who Saw Jimi Hendrix Play 'The Star Spangled Banner' at Woodstock"
Michael McClure - from Ghost Tantras:

"I WAS HERE AND I LIKED IT!
It was all O.K.
I suffered.
There were scents, and flowers, and textures, beautiful women.
I was a handsome man. I invented love.
I radiated genius for those who saw me with loving eyes.
I was happy -- I laughed and cried. Constantly new
sights and sounds. I trembled and sweated
at the sight of beauty. I laughed at strong
things because I loved them -- wanting to kick them in
and make freedom. When I go I'M GONE.
Don't resurrect me
or the duplicates of my atoms.
It was perfect!
I am sheer spirit."

Sylvia Plath - "Lady Lazarus"
Gary Snyder - "What You Should Know to Be a Poet"
Lew Welch - ["Whenever I Make a New Poem":]
Michael McClure - for Marilyn Monroe, from Ghost Tantras, #39
Don L. Lee - "Assassination"
Lawrence Ferlinghetti - "Assassination Raga"
Allen Ginsberg - "On Neal's Ashes"
The Harvard Crimson - "Kerouac, 1922-1969":

"WOULDN'T YOU KNOW IT? Kerouac is dead. Neal Cassady is dead, and now Kerouac, of a "massive hemorrhage." He drank too much. He couldn't seem to make the transition to the flower-power scene. He was too much the dirty bum, the dope fiend, the sinner redeemed through his sin, innocent the whole way, embarrassingly sincere, impatient, hostile, one of the most generous souls of his time, a creator of the American underground, avatar of the ones who could not fight the Nova Police because there were too few of them, and they would have been crushed: William Burroughs, Gregory Corso, Neal Cassady, Allen Ginsberg, Kerouac. So they ran.
"It seems that these days, after the myth of the possibility of a congenial and happy world has been ripped from our grasp by the maudlin and ranting politicos, that maybe the spirit of the Beats is the only viable one for those of us who are tired of waiting around for a fight we don't want, who agree with Kerouac that stupidity is prolific, who are just not naive enough any longer to be hip, who just want to live, and stop playing magician with the realities of our lives, pulling revolutions out of thin air, pulling our personalities from the pages of underground newspapers and half-baked talk, turning nonsense into our daily bread, like some mad troupe of sorcerer's apprentices-Cum-epileptic Luther.
"According to his friends, Kerouac was almost never tired and always hopeful. No one went to visit him in his time; we were embarrassed by our writing teachers who told us that Kerouac's prose was bad. It isn't. Now he's dead; but he was a good man, and the ideas for which he was mocked, that "bad prose" which liberated so many, are still good. We should say a prayer for him: God give us strength to be as alive as Kerouac was. Send us more to help burn away the bullshit."

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Generally a great anthology to have on hand if you want to read something interesting, cool, and thought provoking but don't have the time to read an entire book. I love the 60's so this is perfect.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this book! I only wish it included more politics... I was especially surprised at how much I appreciated the section on civil rights and the black arts movement. I never realized how very complex these issues were because all I was ever offered was the obligatory sixth grade gloss over. The section on the women's liberation movement was excellent because it delved into the age old-question of motherhood/career balance from several perspectives. Can we really have it all?!?! Fascinating!
Highly recommended all in all. A wonderful historical platform for understanding today's social issues.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good anthology of some of the best prose, poetry, and orations from the exciting and volatile 60s. It's nicely organized by themes such as civil rights, the anti-Vietnam War movement, free speech, the counterculture drugs, the Beats, women's rights, and the environment. Most of the many important voices of the 60s are represented here. For someone who came of age in the 60s, this book recalls many favorite life-changing moments and events; for someone younger, this is an excellent place to start to catch the flavor of the times.

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ann Charters has done an exceptional job of choosing what represented the movements that had occurred in the 60's. From the Civil Rights Movement all the way to the Elegies,(which in my opinion is the best part). Just like the blurb says, "the sixties was a time of change, political unrest, and radical experiments in the arts, sexuality, and personal identity." I think it all captured the decade really well, and if anybody is remotely interested in this era, then they should definitely pick this up.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great collection of important thinkers of the sixties. It's the first time I have seen the varying themes of the sixties compiled into one...civil-rights, environmentalism, sexual revolution, counter-culture, etc. Loving it so far...

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

While no collection can claim to be definitive, Charters' collection is a very reasonable approximation of the era, exceedingly so for one of only 605 pages in a small paperback form factor. Well worth the shelf space and a thorough going-through.

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

B No one is qualified like Ann Charters is to edit this book. Some great stuff, lots of my former teachers. It's arranged by social movements, some really great stuff in here, some not so famous stuff. Very good read.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a pretty sweet compilation of essays by important figures from the decade. Covers the big movements and provides a nice variety of writing from each.

[Laurel]

Great survey of texts!

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

a mixture of essays, poems, and fiction. a satisfactory introduction to some of the important writings of the sixties.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I swear I'm going to read this one straight through. My guess is it will take most or all of 2009.

[C.A.]

I didn't get more then like 5 pages. I'm WEAK

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Much more academic and dry than I had hoped, but I enjoyed the sections on the women's movement and the environment.

[Jeanne Cosmos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous essays ! Great collection & each well written!

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

A hodge-podge of miscellanea - some good, some just ok -- All American and mostly the leftist side of things.

[Bremer · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Portable Sixties Reader" is a powerful collection of writings from the 1960s. These pieces vary from fiction to poetry, from memoir to journalism. They're thematically organized under sections such as The Civil Rights Movement, The Anti-Vietnam War Movement, The Free Speech Movement, The Counterculture Movement, Drugs and The Movement Into Inner Space, The Beat Movement and Literary Movements at the Edge, The Black Arts Movement and the Reshaping of Black Consciousness, The Women's Movement and The Sexual Revolution, The Environmental Movement, and Elegies for The Sixties.

My favorites:

1.) The Dangerous Road Before Martin Luther King, Jr. (James Baldwin)
2.) Letter From a Birmingham Jail (Martin Luther King, Jr.)
3.) Coming of Age in Mississippi (Anne Moody)
4.) Where is The Voice Coming From? (Eudora Welty)
5.) The Civil Rights Movement: What Good Was It? (Alice Walker)
6.) Original Child Bomb (Thomas Merton)
7.) How to Maintain a Peaceful Demonstration (Anne Charters)
8.) From Dispatches (Michael Herr)
9.) The Man I killed (Tim O' Brien)
10.) Demonstration or Spectacle as Example, as Communication or How to Make a March/Spectacle (Allen Ginsberg)
11.) From Hell's Angels: The Dope Cabala and a Wall of Fire (Hunter S. Thompson)
12.) The Rolling Stones - At Play in the Apocalypse (Michael Lydon)
13.) Because My Father Always Said He Was the Only Indian Who Saw Jimi Hendrix Play “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Woodstock (Sherman Alexie)
14.) Pills and Shit: The Drug Scene (Lenny Bruce)
15.) Visitor: Jack Kerouac in Old Saybrook (John Clellon Holmes)
16.) From Notes of an Old Dirty Man (Charles Bukowski)
17.) From Wildlife in America (Peter Matthiessen)
18.) The Serpents of Paradise (Edward Abbey)
19.) Psychedelic Rock Posters: History, Ideas, and Art (Sally Tomlinson)

[Kerry Pickens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a baby boomer so I lived through much of these times and was familiar with the authors in this collection. It was good to touch base with that era again, and the level of writing from that period is just phenomenal. The writer in this collection include James Baldwin, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcom X, Susan Sontag, Tim O'Brien, Ron Kovic, Hunter Thompson, Rachel Carson, Betty Friedan, Sherman Alexie, Ken Kesey, Lenny Bruce, and more and more cultural icons. The sheer energy of what we would now call "influencers" was an avalanche of political and philosophical change.

[T D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads like a very 2000s recollection of the 1960s. Fantastic articles laced in here such as the turbulent reality of the psychedelic explosion being a front for covert operations and intelligence gathering strategies. Equates political establishments annihilating Southeast Asia with random manifestos published on streetcorners. Almost comically misunderstands power dynamics. Happy birthday mom. Crooks you missed again.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

An anthology of poetry and excerpts from novels. Charters also adds glue to the pieces to build a tapestry of the times. The overall result is amazing. This is as good as The Portable Beat Reader, so if you like that one, you should read this one too.

[Brian Rankin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book. Covers just about everything from the 1960s with a wide cast of authors and different points of view. Sad to read about who we've lost and what wasn't accomplished. Presents many different points of view.

[Cj Rey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting but ultimately depressing.

[Jim Greene · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like poetry, you’ll give this one 4 stars. Great essays, ok poems. (I’m picky about poems.)

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting summary of the era.

[Katrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an anthology of poetry, fiction and essays written during the 1960s or about the 1960s.