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mscoutj's review
3.0
Not bad, somewhat interesting memoir of a teen of the 60s. Interesting insights, but overall just a little too precious for my tastes...
rkatw's review
4.0
Very interesting as a memoir and I really like seeing what someone who partook in counterculture felt about it's effectiveness as a movement in retrospect, but at times felt like it was trying to be MORE than a memoir. If that was the case then was a little too individualistic and generalised - would have preferred anecdotal evidence being further backed up with more hard data if an overarching historical narrative was the aim. Still gave a decent overall vibe of the attempts at revolution people were trying to push for during the sixties.
bashbashbashbash's review
3.0
Jenny Diski's "The Sixties"--an odd blend of history and memoir--is divided into six sections recounting 1960s resistance and radicalism in Britain: consumption and cultural output (clothes, films, books, media), drug use (prescription and illegal), sex and (briefly) sexuality (free love, Stonewall in New York), political strife (radicalism, resistance, political philosophies, laws, even the dole), education (non-traditional schooling), and mental health (experimental psychological practices).
Diski's refusal to either denounce or condone experimentation with radical beliefs and projects makes "The Sixties" far more palatable than many books written about the same time period. Diski is able to honour the noble and moral aspects of radical politics while at the same time turning a rightfully jaundiced eye on poorly considered policy and unconsidered political platforms (Diski frequently points out the failing of herself and her peers to realize the significant differences between social liberalism and libertarianism).
As an American, it was especially interesting to compare and contrast my understanding of the American '60s and early '70s movements with their British counterparts. In America we had the Vietnam war, Civil Rights and Black Separationist movements, and Gay Rights (Stonewall!). I think Americans were, frankly, more desperate than Brits who, provided for by their parents (many of whom had suffered directly in WWII) and the government, experienced a more lenient social climate.
I especially enjoyed the chapters on education and mental health, which touched on alternative schooling and deschooling (in the case of the former) and a movement to embrace "madness" (primarily schizophrenia) and reject rigid conceptions of normality (in the latter case).
Diski's refusal to either denounce or condone experimentation with radical beliefs and projects makes "The Sixties" far more palatable than many books written about the same time period. Diski is able to honour the noble and moral aspects of radical politics while at the same time turning a rightfully jaundiced eye on poorly considered policy and unconsidered political platforms (Diski frequently points out the failing of herself and her peers to realize the significant differences between social liberalism and libertarianism).
As an American, it was especially interesting to compare and contrast my understanding of the American '60s and early '70s movements with their British counterparts. In America we had the Vietnam war, Civil Rights and Black Separationist movements, and Gay Rights (Stonewall!). I think Americans were, frankly, more desperate than Brits who, provided for by their parents (many of whom had suffered directly in WWII) and the government, experienced a more lenient social climate.
I especially enjoyed the chapters on education and mental health, which touched on alternative schooling and deschooling (in the case of the former) and a movement to embrace "madness" (primarily schizophrenia) and reject rigid conceptions of normality (in the latter case).
han936's review
3.0
Good insight into life in the 60s but would have probably enjoyed it a lot more if I knew more about Jenny Diski
joannawnyc's review
4.0
An enviable and emulatable writing style, although she losed her cold-eyes clarity when discussing enducation and politics, which are obviously dear to her heart. But wow is she great on the other aspects of the era.
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