BOOK REVIEW: Memoirs of an ex-hippie

Memoirs of an Ex-Hippie: Seven Years in the Counterculture by Robert Roskind

Review by Skip Stone

Just as the Beats immortalized their lives and times in such books as On The Road, Robert Roskind likewise commemorates the liberated lifestyle of the hippie era. This look back, while very personal, is also the archetype for a whole generation whose quest for freedom and the meaning of life led to some mind-blowing experiences. Whether it was dealing with parents and the “generation gap”, or trying to avoid getting sent to Vietnam or tripping out on LSD at Altamont, we hippies trod the same path, often in the same places. This implies our common experience was a result of an underlying phenomenon that ultimately changed ourselves, our society and the world.

Roskind’s nostalgic trip down hippie lane is a travelogue of life’s alternative byways and an exploration of the communal mindset of the period. His honest recollections about his psychedelic drug use, run-ins with the cops, communal life, free love, and self-discovery were all part of the hippie trip. Roskind’s tales of many cross-country journeys, picking up hitchhikers in his converted bus, leave us longing for those simpler times, when total strangers would become friends faster than you could light a joint. Those days are over now, but still very much alive for those who lived them.

While many original hippies “sold out” long ago and joined the “establishment”, some of us have held true to our beliefs and continue to explore alternative lifestyles and businesses. Roskind likewise shows us his crisis of faith and how he resolved to live a life of service to others and carry on the hippie philosophy in practice. Having realized that Love is the answer to many of life’s questions, he now teaches others the transcendental power of unconditional love through his books and lectures.

The only flaw I find in the book is its title. Roskind is no Ex-hippie. The hippie inside still lives on and his love for the hippie way and how it changed his life comes thru loud and clear in this well written autobiography. Memoirs of an Ex-Hippie is liberating reading, and will take the reader on the same voyage we all experienced back in the 60s, without drugs!