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Hippie Woman Wild: A Memoir of Life & Love on an Oregon Commune
A not-so-nice Jewish girl, expelled from Yale Drama during the Vietnam protests, abandons her acting dream to follow the man she loves to an off-the-grid commune in Oregon.
At 23, Carol Schlanger was an insecure upper middle class radical. Her parents spoiled her and she expected the universe to follow. It didn’t. After being expelled from Yale, losing a coveted Broadway lead, and seeing a suicide splatter at her feet, she left NYC for the Great Northwest, to live in nature with a man “who made everything beautiful with his hands.” At that time she chose love and nature, over art and career ... until she didn’t. Carol Schlanger put “hidden” cash down on an abandoned homestead—160 acres. The commune followed—all 13 jammed tight into a broken-down cabin with no phone, no electricity, and no running water. They were dependent on each other for every human need and survival. But then freeloading and free love threatened the hard-won utopia. After struggling through infidelity, rape, and childbirth, all except the father of her child left when Carol refused to share land ownership. When, as a lone wilderness “wife,” she accidentally set their house on fire, she realized she couldn’t survive in isolation. Strapping her toddler into a battered old Chevy, she headed to Los Angeles to reclaim her life as a mother, her power as an artist, and her responsibility as an adult. This time her Texan followed her. This is both their love story, and a love story for an explosive, mind-altering era.
At 23, Carol Schlanger was an insecure upper middle class radical. Her parents spoiled her and she expected the universe to follow. It didn’t. After being expelled from Yale, losing a coveted Broadway lead, and seeing a suicide splatter at her feet, she left NYC for the Great Northwest, to live in nature with a man “who made everything beautiful with his hands.” At that time she chose love and nature, over art and career ... until she didn’t. Carol Schlanger put “hidden” cash down on an abandoned homestead—160 acres. The commune followed—all 13 jammed tight into a broken-down cabin with no phone, no electricity, and no running water. They were dependent on each other for every human need and survival. But then freeloading and free love threatened the hard-won utopia. After struggling through infidelity, rape, and childbirth, all except the father of her child left when Carol refused to share land ownership. When, as a lone wilderness “wife,” she accidentally set their house on fire, she realized she couldn’t survive in isolation. Strapping her toddler into a battered old Chevy, she headed to Los Angeles to reclaim her life as a mother, her power as an artist, and her responsibility as an adult. This time her Texan followed her. This is both their love story, and a love story for an explosive, mind-altering era.
291 pages, Paperback
First published July 9, 2019
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September 2, 2020
Wild?
I wasn’t so sure about this book. The word, “wild” in its title threw me. Was this book going to be about orgies or was it about living in the wild? I wasn’t interested in orgies, never have been, but I wanted to learn about communal life. Yet, I knew that you most likely could not have one without the other, not even if it were a religious commune. It wasn’t religious. Well, I had to give this book a try anyway, and I was pleasantly surprised.
Carol is a witty writer, so witty that I thought that she should create a sit-com since she is also an actress. She could call it, “Carol’s World.” I say this because her world is different, even the sex scenes in this book were funny, cartoonist. Made them almost appear innocent, if not that, palpable. Well, if that doesn’t make sense, I could have just said, I was not offended as I am with erotica.
Moving on.
Carol was pursuing an acting career in NY, took acting classes with Henry Winkler, who had then become her platonic friend. This was good because one day she would really need him, and that day came when she wanted to return to acting. But she never planned to return.
In the Meantime
Carol met a man in NY. He turned her on, so they dated, and then moved in together. One day when she came home, he was packing. He told her that he was moving to Oregon to live off the land, and it was then that he invited her to come with him to Oregon. I wondered if he would have left without her if she had not walked in on him. Just that it wasn’t clear, and she had never known of his desire. Why do I say this? She was not prepared. She had to say, No, but then she later sold everything and moved to Oregon to be alone with him on the land. Well, this was only the first of his not allowing her in on his plans.
The Commune
Carol showed up at the land, and what did she find? Not just Clint but an entire group of people, a commune. “I thought that we would be living alone?” “No.” She had a hard time getting used to living with others, and I don’t believe she ever did. This is also where you learn about the different personalities and their various roles.
Clint’s new plan
Clint wanted to move to the coast of Oregon, buy land. Carol’s parents had money; she had an inheritance coming, that is, once they were dead. She and Clint drove over to the coast and found some land, so she called her parents, and after several phone calls, they gave in, but they were smart, they kept the land in their name. For it to really be hers, she had to wait. Now, she thought, she and Clint could be alone.
Think again
The commune had to follow, and gain Carol was upset, but she gave in because Clint was her only love; he was her man.
Communal life.
Everyone had chores. The first of them was to get the dead rat out of the well so they could have pure drinking water. I would have gone into town to get water until I knew that no one was dying from the well water, but that is just me. Next, they built a loft in the cabin that came with the land, or maybe it was that they put in an outhouse. Or maybe for a while they just went in the woods. They had wood to cut and stack, they had a garden to get planted, and soon they even planted pot but not on their own land. Some hunted game, some milked the goat, gathered eggs and killed chickens. One woman’s contribution was her food stamps. Life was wonderful.
More of Clint’s plans
Then one night a naked woman from out of no where got into the sweat house (?) with the naked group. She sat seductively. Yes, naked was not seductive enough. The men were aroused, even Clint until he caught Carol’s eyes. That was quite a downer. Later that night, Carol walked in on them. Clint, seeing that he was no longer alone, offered her to join in on his fun. He had been caught making his own plans again. She said, Not. For you see, she was not really wild, which makes me think that the “wild” in this title was about the wilderness.
The end is near
As this fun and interesting story unwiinds, you will feel as though you really know what a hippie commune was like. You just can’t compare it to Chinese communal life, or at least I don’t think so. I don’t think that I would have liked communal life, although I wish that I had lived in a commune briefly in the 70s, just so I could write about it. Still, I would have left before I had enough material for a book.
I wasn’t so sure about this book. The word, “wild” in its title threw me. Was this book going to be about orgies or was it about living in the wild? I wasn’t interested in orgies, never have been, but I wanted to learn about communal life. Yet, I knew that you most likely could not have one without the other, not even if it were a religious commune. It wasn’t religious. Well, I had to give this book a try anyway, and I was pleasantly surprised.
Carol is a witty writer, so witty that I thought that she should create a sit-com since she is also an actress. She could call it, “Carol’s World.” I say this because her world is different, even the sex scenes in this book were funny, cartoonist. Made them almost appear innocent, if not that, palpable. Well, if that doesn’t make sense, I could have just said, I was not offended as I am with erotica.
Moving on.
Carol was pursuing an acting career in NY, took acting classes with Henry Winkler, who had then become her platonic friend. This was good because one day she would really need him, and that day came when she wanted to return to acting. But she never planned to return.
In the Meantime
Carol met a man in NY. He turned her on, so they dated, and then moved in together. One day when she came home, he was packing. He told her that he was moving to Oregon to live off the land, and it was then that he invited her to come with him to Oregon. I wondered if he would have left without her if she had not walked in on him. Just that it wasn’t clear, and she had never known of his desire. Why do I say this? She was not prepared. She had to say, No, but then she later sold everything and moved to Oregon to be alone with him on the land. Well, this was only the first of his not allowing her in on his plans.
The Commune
Carol showed up at the land, and what did she find? Not just Clint but an entire group of people, a commune. “I thought that we would be living alone?” “No.” She had a hard time getting used to living with others, and I don’t believe she ever did. This is also where you learn about the different personalities and their various roles.
Clint’s new plan
Clint wanted to move to the coast of Oregon, buy land. Carol’s parents had money; she had an inheritance coming, that is, once they were dead. She and Clint drove over to the coast and found some land, so she called her parents, and after several phone calls, they gave in, but they were smart, they kept the land in their name. For it to really be hers, she had to wait. Now, she thought, she and Clint could be alone.
Think again
The commune had to follow, and gain Carol was upset, but she gave in because Clint was her only love; he was her man.
Communal life.
Everyone had chores. The first of them was to get the dead rat out of the well so they could have pure drinking water. I would have gone into town to get water until I knew that no one was dying from the well water, but that is just me. Next, they built a loft in the cabin that came with the land, or maybe it was that they put in an outhouse. Or maybe for a while they just went in the woods. They had wood to cut and stack, they had a garden to get planted, and soon they even planted pot but not on their own land. Some hunted game, some milked the goat, gathered eggs and killed chickens. One woman’s contribution was her food stamps. Life was wonderful.
More of Clint’s plans
Then one night a naked woman from out of no where got into the sweat house (?) with the naked group. She sat seductively. Yes, naked was not seductive enough. The men were aroused, even Clint until he caught Carol’s eyes. That was quite a downer. Later that night, Carol walked in on them. Clint, seeing that he was no longer alone, offered her to join in on his fun. He had been caught making his own plans again. She said, Not. For you see, she was not really wild, which makes me think that the “wild” in this title was about the wilderness.
The end is near
As this fun and interesting story unwiinds, you will feel as though you really know what a hippie commune was like. You just can’t compare it to Chinese communal life, or at least I don’t think so. I don’t think that I would have liked communal life, although I wish that I had lived in a commune briefly in the 70s, just so I could write about it. Still, I would have left before I had enough material for a book.
August 25, 2019
What a trip down memory lane. I read this book because mutual friends were talking about it and got more out of it than I expected. One of her homes is about a mile away which is a close neighbor here so I was curious. (I know her by sight but am pretty sure she doesn't know who I am.)
Carol was Jewish New York City actress from a wealthy family on the cusp of The Big Time. I was from many generations of WASPs in a very small Ohio town who had made it to the west coast via picking a college far from home. But the times sent us on some very similar paths. She left New York City for a life in rural Oregon the same month (July 1971) that I left San Francisco to get back to the land in rural northern California. In her case she was following the man she loved. I was probably dragging the man I loved along. Communal living failed a little faster for me than for her, but the dreams and issues she describes were there for most of the young people who tried hard to drop out and remake the world.
Carol was Jewish New York City actress from a wealthy family on the cusp of The Big Time. I was from many generations of WASPs in a very small Ohio town who had made it to the west coast via picking a college far from home. But the times sent us on some very similar paths. She left New York City for a life in rural Oregon the same month (July 1971) that I left San Francisco to get back to the land in rural northern California. In her case she was following the man she loved. I was probably dragging the man I loved along. Communal living failed a little faster for me than for her, but the dreams and issues she describes were there for most of the young people who tried hard to drop out and remake the world.
July 25, 2020
There are 47 books on my memoir shelf. This one is my favorite, by far. Best of all, I listened to the audiobook, which was read by the author.
September 15, 2023
This book was fun to read. I will be thinking about this story for a long time, and I won't be surprised if I read this book again. From beginning to end this story is told with fun and engaging narrative. I laughed out loud many times, which is reason enough for a re-read in the future. A well told story about young hippie days to begin with, but the ending is even better.
November 22, 2019
Took a break in her 20's from otherwise conventional acting career trajectory [starting in theater in NYC and ending up in LA making a few movies and guest appearances in TV shows] to follow a hippie boyfriend [ultimately husband of 45 years] to a commune in Oregon to live off the land with a dozen or so other young adults. She bought the property they lived on for one stretch of it with money squirreled away from a commercial she'd made.
most of the action is early 1970's, which i remember clearly but for which I was not a young adult [more like late grade school], so in principle it could have been an eye-opener/inside look at a different lifestyle, but I ended up finding it disappointingly predictable and a bit boring. They took a lot of drugs and grew or hunted their own food, but otherwise for the most part the conflicts and developments are roughly what you might expect.
Someone used to privacy and being well to do struggles to share space with a large group
Someone theoretically open to free love actually gets jealous when her boyfriend is unfaithful
People who talk about being anti-materialistic end up chafing at your owning the land they all share and throwing this fact in their face in the midst of disputes about rules and such.
It's hard to be one of the few who has a baby because your routines and focus change.
.......and so on. Not unimportant issues, but also not surprising, and in the hands of this writer not page-turning for me.
most of the action is early 1970's, which i remember clearly but for which I was not a young adult [more like late grade school], so in principle it could have been an eye-opener/inside look at a different lifestyle, but I ended up finding it disappointingly predictable and a bit boring. They took a lot of drugs and grew or hunted their own food, but otherwise for the most part the conflicts and developments are roughly what you might expect.
Someone used to privacy and being well to do struggles to share space with a large group
Someone theoretically open to free love actually gets jealous when her boyfriend is unfaithful
People who talk about being anti-materialistic end up chafing at your owning the land they all share and throwing this fact in their face in the midst of disputes about rules and such.
It's hard to be one of the few who has a baby because your routines and focus change.
.......and so on. Not unimportant issues, but also not surprising, and in the hands of this writer not page-turning for me.
September 27, 2019
Where do I begin? Humor? Check. Great writing style? Check. Drama? Check. Interesting characters? Check. One hell of a good story? Check. check CHECK!
When I first began reading, I thought it was written tongue-in-cheek. I was thinking to myself, "How could this be true?" I mean, not to give away spoilers because this is on the first page, but there's a dead body. A dead body! And it was sort of a comedy? I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep reading but I sucked it up and continued on. Am I ever glad I did! This book was like reliving the 70's. The story just got better and better. This is a five star memoir in every way.
When I first began reading, I thought it was written tongue-in-cheek. I was thinking to myself, "How could this be true?" I mean, not to give away spoilers because this is on the first page, but there's a dead body. A dead body! And it was sort of a comedy? I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep reading but I sucked it up and continued on. Am I ever glad I did! This book was like reliving the 70's. The story just got better and better. This is a five star memoir in every way.
December 8, 2020
Carol Schlanger’s Hippie woman wild: a memoir of life & love on an Oregon commune brought back my own memories of communal life in Wisconsin during those wonderful tumultuous times. Although written from a woman’s perspective I could identify with many of her challenges and ofttimes contradictory opinions as she came to terms with what she wanted out of life and love. Don’t we all. I admire her honesty in telling us her intimate story of interpersonal relationships, including sexual activity, which is too often left out, whitewashing history. It leaves the following generations to think we didn’t. I love her self-revelation, conflicts, and love-hate relationships with other women. She’s very human. I’m glad that she gives us updates on each of her fellow communards at the end of the book. My only problem with her writing is she packed too much into a single paragraph. I do hope Clint writes his own version of those times. I’m still working on mine.
May 8, 2024
At 52 pages I wasn’t sure I would finish the book. I couldn’t relate to the author’s admiration of famous actors and movie references, or the author’s liberalism. After that, once she and Clint moved into the hippie commune it got more interesting, and I could relate to her more because of the hardships. Living in those communes sounds like a difficult and filthy lifestyle. I would have left much sooner than she did. I doubt I ever would have considered any of those people my friends. My thoughts on Clint is he was a cad and she wasted years of her life clinging to him. Apparently she never thought she deserved better. Would I recommend reading this book? Yes, I would. There is history in it.
September 9, 2024
Now I know why I didn’t become a hippie.
March 29, 2021
Just what I needed
If Carol were here with me I am sure we would be laughing. I feel as if I have made a new friend.
If Carol were here with me I am sure we would be laughing. I feel as if I have made a new friend.
January 22, 2023
I don't think I could have sacrificed a rising career for a romance. But it seems Carol Schlanger won the whole pie: she kept her love and became fulfilled professionally. Carol's sacrifice morphed into a delay. She lived in accordance with her generation's ideals until she could no longer endure it.
A meaningful story.
A meaningful story.
February 6, 2023
4.5 stars.
What an interesting memoir! Funny, clever, well written. Schlanger delves into an approximately 4-year period of her life in which she goes from privileged Manhattan gal, to a back-of-the-land hippie lifestyle in the backwoods of Oregon in the very early '70's. She does such a good job of the details of such a life...things I had never thought about, even as I was a sort of hippie myself in those times (albeit 10 years her junior so in high school then, living in comfort in a city, with everything I needed--so nothing at all akin to what she did; just adopting many of the inspirations of the lifestyle).
It was fascinating how she shows the components of really living such an off-the-grid and off-the-mainstream-financial-system lifestyle, the different types of personalities and some about the different types of communes she knew of, and the dichotomies between the expansive beauty, communal closeness and freedom of such, contrasted with the nitty gritty, the many daily tasks to just cook, eat, get water, etcetera, the hardships (although she seems to show great tolerance and resilience in such a lifestyle--one would have to, to do it!), as well as the challenges of being with people involved, whether those she lives with or those other hippies who freely come by and take.
So much here that I had never thought about, but sooooo many things which have affected and energized millions of people for decades. From clothing styles to health foods to environmental awareness to marijuana use to love styles to trying to live more simply, it's all here. But she and her tribe were doing it with little access to water and thus no baths, almost no money, and few other comforts we take for granted~ like phones, electricity, nor much in the way of vehicles.
She is revealingly honest in showing her darker emotions, her struggles with intimacy in the free love aspects of this "revolution," her conflicts in her intimate relationship, her feelings about others and what she goes through including a rape, break-up, falling out with others, & other challenges. But she keeps it funny indeed...including some wonderful stories such as how she got food stamps for survival of her commune.
The last chapter...and epilogue...wowed me and I wanted the next book, the next part of the journey to where she is now, to be continued!
Super great read for those of us interested in the counterculture aspects of the late 60's and early 70's. In my own case, I had no idea at all what true back-to-the-land hippies were doing to live that way daily, and it was eye-opening.
What an interesting memoir! Funny, clever, well written. Schlanger delves into an approximately 4-year period of her life in which she goes from privileged Manhattan gal, to a back-of-the-land hippie lifestyle in the backwoods of Oregon in the very early '70's. She does such a good job of the details of such a life...things I had never thought about, even as I was a sort of hippie myself in those times (albeit 10 years her junior so in high school then, living in comfort in a city, with everything I needed--so nothing at all akin to what she did; just adopting many of the inspirations of the lifestyle).
It was fascinating how she shows the components of really living such an off-the-grid and off-the-mainstream-financial-system lifestyle, the different types of personalities and some about the different types of communes she knew of, and the dichotomies between the expansive beauty, communal closeness and freedom of such, contrasted with the nitty gritty, the many daily tasks to just cook, eat, get water, etcetera, the hardships (although she seems to show great tolerance and resilience in such a lifestyle--one would have to, to do it!), as well as the challenges of being with people involved, whether those she lives with or those other hippies who freely come by and take.
So much here that I had never thought about, but sooooo many things which have affected and energized millions of people for decades. From clothing styles to health foods to environmental awareness to marijuana use to love styles to trying to live more simply, it's all here. But she and her tribe were doing it with little access to water and thus no baths, almost no money, and few other comforts we take for granted~ like phones, electricity, nor much in the way of vehicles.
She is revealingly honest in showing her darker emotions, her struggles with intimacy in the free love aspects of this "revolution," her conflicts in her intimate relationship, her feelings about others and what she goes through including a rape, break-up, falling out with others, & other challenges. But she keeps it funny indeed...including some wonderful stories such as how she got food stamps for survival of her commune.
The last chapter...and epilogue...wowed me and I wanted the next book, the next part of the journey to where she is now, to be continued!
Super great read for those of us interested in the counterculture aspects of the late 60's and early 70's. In my own case, I had no idea at all what true back-to-the-land hippies were doing to live that way daily, and it was eye-opening.
July 15, 2019
I loved this book - for how well it’s written; for the author’s honesty and self - awareness and for how interesting the story.
Not all of us boomers had the chance to “drop out” and live on the land. It took enormous courage and strength. This book is an excellent account of what it really meant, written by an educated, intelligent woman who is not afraid to tell it like it was.
Kudos to you, Carol Schlanger!
Not all of us boomers had the chance to “drop out” and live on the land. It took enormous courage and strength. This book is an excellent account of what it really meant, written by an educated, intelligent woman who is not afraid to tell it like it was.
Kudos to you, Carol Schlanger!
August 2, 2019
Inspiring and illuminating. I am too young to have experienced the 70s and hippie era first hand but this vivid memoir of life on a commune helped me to appreciate their impact and the cultural debt I owe as someone who enjoys access to today's spaces for radical self-expression and inclusion.
January 4, 2021
I could never decide whether I like her, the swinging back and forth between big beautiful dreams and weirdly petty moments of selfishness kept me off balance. Maybe this reflects the generation a bit? Still a cool account of some wild experiences.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2022
I love reading hippie genre books. In this book I feel Carol liked the idea of being a hippie but not necessarily being a hippie.
May 23, 2021
I don’t find myself giving out five star reviews very often but since good memoirs are so hard to write and because this is a period of twentieth century history I find very interesting, Carol Schlanger gets five stars for her writing and her narration of her story in the audio version of Hippie Woman Wild. I missed the 60s while in the Air Force then missed the 70s while in the insurance business. It sounds like it might have been a great experience, greater perhaps than collecting ribbons for service in SEA or learning the secrets of the general liability policy. I constantly encourage a close friend of mine who was a contemporary hippie of Carol’s era to write his memoir of the great commune he was part of. I think this book will have to suffice. Frankly, it would be harder to do it better than Ms Schlanger who spent time on several different communes and a total of four years in Western Oregon during the early part of the 70s decade. This back to the earth movement had many participants and communal situations proliferated in Oregon and throughout the entire country. Perhaps the impact of hippiness accounts for the extremely progressive politics of Western Oregon to this current day. One might think that a group of young people who smoked dope every day for years, dropped acid and ate halucinagenic mushrooms might not have amounted to anything. Might have blown their minds. Certainly, there are cases of that. But for the most part the commune hippies I know have led productive and often very successful lives in a variety of fields. One only has to listen to or read the epilogue of this book to be amazed at the arc the lives of Carol’s group led. This is a very funny book, by the way, and I would recommend the audio version just to hear the author’s impressions of her stereotypical New York Jewish parents who by the time Carol ran off to the commune had retired to life in Florida. Carol, a Yale grad and close friends with luminaries like Henry Winkler and Stockard Channing was beginning a career in show business when she fell instantly in love with a goy Texan named Clint. He wanted to go back to the land and she followed him to Oregon where she ultimately begged her parents to loan her money which she used to buy 160 acres on Floras Creek. The closest town was the tiny berg of Langlois, a village on Hwy 101 of less than 200 people where the sheriff also ran the store where the hippies bought their growing supplies. They had been living on a commune near Eugene and when Carol and Clint (who’s been her husband now for 45 years) got Floras Creek he invited their friends from Eugene to join them. Many did, including a Jakartan prince who had graduated from Harvard and a street kid from Brooklyn. What ensued was not always wonderful but often was. It wasn’t the perfect location with wet, cold winter weather far from supplies and medical attention. A chain saw accident, for example, was a major problem. Carol writes with great self-awareness and constant humor which makes the book laugh out loud funny and endearing. She has gone on to become a successful actress, playwright and story teller. You can go on Youtube and get a sample of her experience by watching a video called: “I’m in love with Chekhov.” It’s a funny story about a well endowed visitor who attempts to seduce Clint in front of Carol. Interestingly, there is also a chapter in the book titled “I’m in love with Chekhov”
which has elements of the same story and same main characters but is completely different. So, I’m not sure which one actually happened but the book version is much more amusing and graphic and involves and evaluation of the boys and girls of Floras Creeks genitals as they sit together in their sweat lodge. This raises the question about other stories in the book but I’m going to assume that all are true and the Youtube story cleaned up a bit for the audience she was trying to entertain. There’s lots of sex but not as much as one would suppose. Other communes were more into sharing but not so much at Floras Creek. People paired up and there was great upset at the thought of cheating which is the essence of the Chekhov story. The problem with communal life is that it involves a lot of cooperation with a variety of personalities that don’t always mesh. Carol’s commune broke down when the other residents demanded she give them equal ownership in her property because of the contributions they had made in improving it. Carol balked discovering she was, at heart, a capitalist. The commune dissolved. Carol and Clint were left alone in the woods with their new baby Huckleberry and the desire to restart her acting career. They still seem to be going strong. Good book. Enjoyed every page.
which has elements of the same story and same main characters but is completely different. So, I’m not sure which one actually happened but the book version is much more amusing and graphic and involves and evaluation of the boys and girls of Floras Creeks genitals as they sit together in their sweat lodge. This raises the question about other stories in the book but I’m going to assume that all are true and the Youtube story cleaned up a bit for the audience she was trying to entertain. There’s lots of sex but not as much as one would suppose. Other communes were more into sharing but not so much at Floras Creek. People paired up and there was great upset at the thought of cheating which is the essence of the Chekhov story. The problem with communal life is that it involves a lot of cooperation with a variety of personalities that don’t always mesh. Carol’s commune broke down when the other residents demanded she give them equal ownership in her property because of the contributions they had made in improving it. Carol balked discovering she was, at heart, a capitalist. The commune dissolved. Carol and Clint were left alone in the woods with their new baby Huckleberry and the desire to restart her acting career. They still seem to be going strong. Good book. Enjoyed every page.
May 14, 2020
Hilarious! Favorite passage:
"Life can be hard and lonely for a single woman who does not want to be single. Just before Anise sat, she deliberately pointed her firm, melon ass at the men's bench and any sympathy I had for her, evaporated. As her buttocks encroached on mine, I saw that her vagina with its sparse bargain-basement pubes was ordinary and dull. According to my interpretive genitalia theory, if it reflected who and what she was, I had nothing to worry about. The woman was a snore. But in an instant, that notion proved bogus. Anise had the most exquisite breasts I had ever seen. I tried my hardest to remember how beautiful and human I was, how I could sing Anchors Away in Latin, and how my analysis of Uncle Vanya caused the dean of Yale to suggest, before he grew to hate my guts, that I might consider becoming a theater critic. Instead, I sat riveted by Anise's pink, perky, and perfect orbs - 36Cs with no drop or droop. In comparison, mine lay on my chest like two, flat, undercooked pancakes. Even worse, my nipples turned inward toward each other - freakishly cross-eyed and looking like what they did all day was spit tobacco and wrestle swamp alligator."
"Life can be hard and lonely for a single woman who does not want to be single. Just before Anise sat, she deliberately pointed her firm, melon ass at the men's bench and any sympathy I had for her, evaporated. As her buttocks encroached on mine, I saw that her vagina with its sparse bargain-basement pubes was ordinary and dull. According to my interpretive genitalia theory, if it reflected who and what she was, I had nothing to worry about. The woman was a snore. But in an instant, that notion proved bogus. Anise had the most exquisite breasts I had ever seen. I tried my hardest to remember how beautiful and human I was, how I could sing Anchors Away in Latin, and how my analysis of Uncle Vanya caused the dean of Yale to suggest, before he grew to hate my guts, that I might consider becoming a theater critic. Instead, I sat riveted by Anise's pink, perky, and perfect orbs - 36Cs with no drop or droop. In comparison, mine lay on my chest like two, flat, undercooked pancakes. Even worse, my nipples turned inward toward each other - freakishly cross-eyed and looking like what they did all day was spit tobacco and wrestle swamp alligator."
June 30, 2022
What a long strange trip it was... Though I'm a decade younger than Carol I still considered myself a hippie chick in the 70s. Carol actually reminded me of a friend of mine from those days. Hippie Woman Wild, if not an enlightening read, is definitely an entertaining one and a fun trip back to the land and the 1970s.
Carol, the writer, did get a bit loosey-goosey around the time Carol in the book got pregnant. There were some spelling, grammatical and chronological errors - a little fudging with her age (though a woman's prerogative, as they say). However, there was no way she could've seen Henry Winkler being interviewed on TV, about his Happy Days role, while visiting the clinic in 1972. Happy Days didn't premiere until 1974. Since this was when she'd discovered she was pregnant, you'd think that the date would've been more memorable. That said, there was a lot of pot smoking occurring back then... Henry Winkler, who wrote the book's foreword, even missed this. Otherwise, the book was pretty damn good. And I'm glad to hear that Carol
Carol, the writer, did get a bit loosey-goosey around the time Carol in the book got pregnant. There were some spelling, grammatical and chronological errors - a little fudging with her age (though a woman's prerogative, as they say). However, there was no way she could've seen Henry Winkler being interviewed on TV, about his Happy Days role, while visiting the clinic in 1972. Happy Days didn't premiere until 1974. Since this was when she'd discovered she was pregnant, you'd think that the date would've been more memorable. That said, there was a lot of pot smoking occurring back then... Henry Winkler, who wrote the book's foreword, even missed this. Otherwise, the book was pretty damn good. And I'm glad to hear that Carol
April 16, 2025
I'd already written a review under my other goodreads persona, unlinked to this due to a J in my name, so this connects the dots. Carol Schlanger’s Hippie woman wild: a memoir of life & love on an Oregon commune brought back my own memories of communal life in Wisconsin during those wonderful tumultuous times. Although written from a woman’s perspective, I could identify with many of her challenges and oftentimes contradictory opinions as she came to terms with what she wanted out of life and love. Don’t we all. I admire her honesty in telling us her intimate story of interpersonal relationships, including sexual activity, which is too often left out, whitewashing history. It leaves the following generations to think we didn’t. I love her self-revelation, conflicts, and love-hate relationships with other women. She’s very human. I’m glad that she gives us updates on each of her fellow communards at the end of the book. My only problem with her writing is she packed too much into a single paragraph. I do hope Clint writes his own version of those times. I’m still working on more of mine.
August 10, 2021
The story of an aspiring actress who became a hippie in an Oregon commune
Caution: this book is for a mature reader, due to language and mature subject matter. It is the hard hitting tale of a spoiled Jewish girl, an aspiring actress, who follows the love of her life to live in a hippie commune in a remote Oregon forest. It follows her struggles to fit in, and her inability to feel like she is truly a part of the group of hippies. Unable to contribute to the group, she illegally files for food stamps to help support the group. When her lover is unfaithful, she moves to a different commune where she is raped the night she arrives. Her trials don't end there, however. She finds she is pregnant and returns to her former lover, who is the father of the child she is carrying. There are many other adventures and moves before the story ends. This book is about several real-life people who drop out of civilized society in rebellion and eventually drop back in.
Caution: this book is for a mature reader, due to language and mature subject matter. It is the hard hitting tale of a spoiled Jewish girl, an aspiring actress, who follows the love of her life to live in a hippie commune in a remote Oregon forest. It follows her struggles to fit in, and her inability to feel like she is truly a part of the group of hippies. Unable to contribute to the group, she illegally files for food stamps to help support the group. When her lover is unfaithful, she moves to a different commune where she is raped the night she arrives. Her trials don't end there, however. She finds she is pregnant and returns to her former lover, who is the father of the child she is carrying. There are many other adventures and moves before the story ends. This book is about several real-life people who drop out of civilized society in rebellion and eventually drop back in.
April 12, 2020
Back to the land
The counter culture movement dotted the American landscape
With communes. Each was different but all had things in common: the mental and physical exhaustion of modern people intentionally stepping back into a pre-industrial world to the extent they deemed possible; the moments of ecstasy sometimes drug induced, but often the sheer joy of creating, working hard for a common goal, resourcefulness of individual and group, “free love” (for the advantage of males) and a charismatic leader (almost always male.) Despite the challenges, I believe the compensations, particularly the intimacy with nature and the group experiences of singing, working, and celebrating together, must be unforgettable and precious.
The counter culture movement dotted the American landscape
With communes. Each was different but all had things in common: the mental and physical exhaustion of modern people intentionally stepping back into a pre-industrial world to the extent they deemed possible; the moments of ecstasy sometimes drug induced, but often the sheer joy of creating, working hard for a common goal, resourcefulness of individual and group, “free love” (for the advantage of males) and a charismatic leader (almost always male.) Despite the challenges, I believe the compensations, particularly the intimacy with nature and the group experiences of singing, working, and celebrating together, must be unforgettable and precious.
December 29, 2020
A true page turner! Hippie Woman Wild is
about a brave man and woman from vastly different backgrounds, who devoted
themselves to the natural world and each other, and fell in love for life.
Their escape into the wilds of Oregon's nature, living apart from the political
and cultural divides inflamed in the late 60's, is titillating, shocking, scary, earthy
and heartwarming. Makes one wonder if many of us would be so generous,
courageous and clever in surviving if infra structures in our current culture
fall away. Their commitment to communal living, with a rotating cast of lost
souls, hippies and Hell's Angels, is anthropologically educational and admirable.
Treat yourself to a deep read and feel the sensuous, heady adventure of living
off the land, off the grid, off the charts.
November 15, 2020
1970 and with Woodstock festival still reverberating in the air a small group of Yale students finally decided the future economic path is unsustainable and the hippie commune will light the way for all to follow.
This is the memoir of Carol Schlanger a Yale drama student who followed the man she loved and joined the group and eventually bought a 160 acre plot of land in Oregon and started to realise the the utopian dream by starting her own off grid commune.
Published in 1999, its Candidly open approach makes it an addictive read, I won't spoil the plot by saying any more but definitely a worthy read.
This is the memoir of Carol Schlanger a Yale drama student who followed the man she loved and joined the group and eventually bought a 160 acre plot of land in Oregon and started to realise the the utopian dream by starting her own off grid commune.
Published in 1999, its Candidly open approach makes it an addictive read, I won't spoil the plot by saying any more but definitely a worthy read.
January 12, 2021
HIPPIES HENRY WINKLER AND LIVING WITH NOTHING
ABOUT 200 PAGES GIVE OR TAKE EXCELLENT MEMOIR ABOUT LIFE ON A COMMUNE HAS ALOT OF EXTREME SCENES FOR ME LANGUAGE AND DESCRIPTION NOT FOR EVERYONE BUT VERY FAST PACED NARRATIVE EASY BREEZY FAST AND EASY READ!?ITS AMAZING TO ME THE COMMUNE PEOPLE ARE ALOT OF SHARP AND GOT DEGREES AFTER LEAVING COMMUNE THATS AMAZING TO ME BECAUSE OF THIER LIVING CONDITIONS AND MIMINUM LIFESTYLE ITS JUST SURPRISINGLY SHOCKING TO ME THE EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND THESE PEOPLE HAD!?!ALSO HAD CRYSTAL CLEAR POLORID PICTURES AT END OF BOOK AND WHERE EVERYONE DOING NOW AFTER LIVING IN COMMUNE
ABOUT 200 PAGES GIVE OR TAKE EXCELLENT MEMOIR ABOUT LIFE ON A COMMUNE HAS ALOT OF EXTREME SCENES FOR ME LANGUAGE AND DESCRIPTION NOT FOR EVERYONE BUT VERY FAST PACED NARRATIVE EASY BREEZY FAST AND EASY READ!?ITS AMAZING TO ME THE COMMUNE PEOPLE ARE ALOT OF SHARP AND GOT DEGREES AFTER LEAVING COMMUNE THATS AMAZING TO ME BECAUSE OF THIER LIVING CONDITIONS AND MIMINUM LIFESTYLE ITS JUST SURPRISINGLY SHOCKING TO ME THE EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND THESE PEOPLE HAD!?!ALSO HAD CRYSTAL CLEAR POLORID PICTURES AT END OF BOOK AND WHERE EVERYONE DOING NOW AFTER LIVING IN COMMUNE
May 31, 2020
I am not sure what I think about this book. It was interesting, as I was just behind the author by seven years, living through the times she describes, but too young to have understood the events. It is also interesting in that so much of what she describes is now not uncommon, and the political upheaval of the late 60s and early 70s haunts the United States again.
I loved the back to nature and communal life, but despaired at the personal strifes that plagued the community anyway. The writing was good, and inspiring.
I loved the back to nature and communal life, but despaired at the personal strifes that plagued the community anyway. The writing was good, and inspiring.
August 14, 2023
This book did not work for me at all. I found the authorial voice judgmental and condescending. The nostalgic eye is not forgiving of youthful missteps herein, except the author's own. There were so many times the author told a judgy story about young irresponsible hippies being young and irresponsible and I wanted to ask her how she thought they should have behaved? Schlanger falls back on her privilege when things get tough, but she doesn't seem to notice how having parental backup insulated her from the consequences of her bad choices.
Read
November 26, 2019The version I read had enough proofreading errors that I found them distracting enough to mention here. I was in grade school when my mom went through her "hippie" period; we never lived on a commune but did go to a cooperative school where there were no classes or much adult supervision, so some of this book did resonate with me more than it might have otherwise. I very much appreciated the afterword with updates on many of the people in the story.
February 21, 2022
If you’re looking for a book that showcases the hippie movement in all of its nuance - this is it. It features a beautiful but complicated love story with the man of her dreams but also the hippie lifestyle. She grapples with identity formation, capitalism, communism, love, living in the woods, feminism, and soooo soo much more. I needed a book to give me a realistic account of this movement as I contemplated dropping out of society myself and this was so very helpful. Very highly recommend!!!
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