Jester: Memoirs of a Retired Hippie: From San Francisco Hippie to Road Nomad: experiencing life on the highways of America and north to Alaska

by Warren Troy

An inexperienced teenager leaves his suburban California home to visit his brother in San Francisco, and dives into the Hippie Movement of the sixties.Establishing himself in the Flower Power scene of the Haight Ashbury District, he becomes a bell-bottomed entrepreneur, running a unique used garment business from the back of an old, brightly painted step van, becoming known only as Jester.Heavily involved in the sex, drugs and rock and roll lifestyle, he meets fascinating characters like Janis Joplin and Timothy Leary and has many amazing experiences, until he burns out on the whole scene. Leaving the bay area, He searches for a different direction.Jester moves in and out of different lifestyles, becoming a road nomad, traveling, over the years, from the mountains of Big Sur all the way to Alaska, with many stops along the way. In Memoirs of a Retired hippie, Jester tastes love and loss, joy and deep sorrow, and the magic that still exists in the world, evolving into a unique and wise older man.

284 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Stella Gregor]

Tjis book was really interesting. I read it for my NHD project. It showed me what life was like for Hippies and what their protests were like. I really enjoyed this book and I want to read other books like this.

[Mckenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think we can all learn a thing or two from Jester's story. I learned about adventure, love, loss, and how to squeeze the most out of life. While I'm no road nomad, I can take a lot from his stories and the people he met along the way. Thankful to have come across these stories.

[Lila Vogt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being a peace, love, dove child of the 60's, I found a resonance in this story. The Alaska segment of the story was accurate and reality based. A pet peeve of mine in stories set in Alaska by authors not familiar with the setting and making inaccurate portrayals of places and peoples.

It was a three night read and I found myself engaged and caught up in the atmosphere of the narrative.