We Are the People Our Parents Warned Us Against

by Nicholas von Hoffman

Books about the sixties have proliferated in recent years, but none has surpassed Nicholas von Hoffman's classic account of the 1960s counter-culture in San Francisco. “In the summer of 1967,” he writes, “youth drew attention to itself by clustering in large numbers in most major American cities, where they broke the narcotics laws proudly, publicly, and defiantly. At the same time, they enunciated a different social philosophy and a new politics, and perhaps even mothered into life a subculture that was new to America. This book tries to explain what happened in the Haight-Ashbury section of San Francisco. For it was in the Haight that whatever happened, happened most vividly and so intensely that it drew international attention to itself.” “An impressively serious treatment.”― New York Times . “A rare example of journalism that approaches art in one direction and the best of social science in another.”― Newsweek.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Drugs, Music, Pop Culture

280 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

Nicholas von Hoffman was an American journalist and author. He first worked as a community organizer for Saul D. Alinsky in Chicago for ten years from 1953 to 1963. Later, Von Hoffman wrote for The Washington Post, and most notably, was a commentator on the CBS Point-Counterpoint segment for 60 Minutes, from which Don Hewitt fired him in 1974. von Hoffman was also a columnist for The Huffington Post.

Reviews

[Sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book explains the events and ideas that took place in 1967 in San Fransisco, California very clearly, and is a great book for someone that wants to learn about hippies in the 60's. In this book, Von Hoffman describes ideas which were shared among the 60’s youth, and approaches the hippie movement in a unique, different, extremely descriptive way.

The negative side of this book is that it is very disorganized. The text flows nicely but there are no chapter marks or any other sense of organization.

Other then that, I think this book is a great read for people interested in the hippy movement, but if you are not that interested in it then you will most likely find this book very boring.

[Jane · Rating 1 out of 5]

Been there, didn't do that.

[lex · Rating 4 out of 5]

The [pictures] that came out of the Haight of lovely, other-worldly girls floating in flowers and pastel butterflies have as much relationship to what goes on there as a shot of Bob Hope entertaining the troops does to the war in Vietnam

It's the summer of 1967 and Nicholas von Hoffman wanders the streets of Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco and writes about what he sees in the hippie movement blossoming there. Like a long acid trip, this book discards the structure of chapters in favor of one, on-going ramble: scenes containing absurd conversations between hippies high on acid or silly protests in San Francisco's parks are mixed with emotion-inducing newspaper clippings of stabbed newborns and the occasional, insightful look into what the hippie culture was really about. This seemingly never-ending, randomly topic-changing ramble makes the reader feel as if they too are on an acid trip alongside the hippies.

But the picture the reader gets is not one of a free-loving, peaceful group but of a community of traumatized or emotionally conflicted children who have abandoned their middle-class families and good educations for the cathartic freedom that comes from drug-taking and homelessness. It shows a community built on the sale of weed, acid, and meth. If you don't want to engage in the sale of illicit substances, you can choose to sell trinkets to tourists, sell your body to whomever will pay, or become somebody's "old lady" (girlfriend and housekeeper). While orgies and free sex are common, it's not entirely clear that the women who are encouraged to participate want to be there or are there because their partners (who seem to payroll their existence or at least provide a place to sleep) want them to be. Perhaps most incriminating, the book reveals people far more paranoid and violent than their "peace and love" mentality would have you believe: threatening to kill over drug disputes, hypocritically claiming love for all while still holding racist feelings against the “spades” (blacks), and using the local motorcycle group (Hell’s Angels) for physical protection. Though von Hoffman’s descriptions, these people appear clearly troubled, confused, and in need of help. They found temporary relief in the acid-taking, youth culture of San Francisco.

What von Hoffman revealed, essentially, was the liberal version of what we see today in American Trump supporters: people dealing with heavy emotions who want change (often based on legitimate concerns) but don't really know how that change could happen so instead decide to ignore the laws set in place and create their own. "Affective politics," von Hoffman has labelled it. While the hippies spewed hypocritical love, MAGA spews hypocritical hate. While hippies pushed for a hedonistic communism, MAGA pushes for nationalist authoritarianism. In the end, this temporary ousting of social norms can feel cathartic and hopeful, but fails to accomplish anything tangible because the real problems are within oneself.

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

We Are the People Our Parents Warned Us Against by Nicholas Vin Hoffman (Fawcett Books 1967) (301.43). Here is one of the earlier hippie screeds; it dates from 1967. It is intended as a sort of progress report from the hippie viewpoint from the front lines of “The Movement” during the early days of free love. It was also a time when the ubiquitous drugs of choice wouldn't kill you (except speed, and everyone knew even then that “Speed kills”). This is an important volume in any collection of Sixties literature. My rating: 7/10, finished 4/20/1974 but addded to my Goodreads library on 12/9/18. I own a PB copy in fair condition that I've owned since 1974. PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

[Sikoni · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one really took me through an in-depth journey into San Francisco hippie scene. It was as if someone took me strolling down streets and narrow alleys to find a neighbor high on acid. Or hearing news my elementary schoolmate had gone nuts.

It's a cool, and somehow sad book.

[Babs M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I had read this back when it was printed so I would not have romaticized Haight-Ashbury and San Francisco for most of my life. Reading this you realize how messed up it really was and left you wondering how long most of these people ended up surviving and also if alive did they smarten up?

[Karen-Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A close-up of the whole hippie scene.

[Jo Resner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book! Some of the ideas were definitely ahead of it's time.

[Alpha Danjuma]

Let's see

[Stephy · Rating 3 out of 5]

These times tell a lot better than they lived.

[Lori Spier]

We are the people our parents warned us against by Nicholas Von Hoffman (1968)

[Fishface · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read, written from the inside of the drug-addled seekers' generation.