Maybe you had to have been there... and if you were there, you probably don't remember; so Nichols provides you with an easy flashback. It would be a complete literary error to attempt to compare this book to THE MAGIC JOURNEY or THE MILAGRO BEANFIELD WARS. No, different times require different treatments. This is a difficult read because Nichols is protraying a difficult period, the middle years of the Baby Boomers. If you are from the Silent Generation, it won't make sense. If you ever dreamed of an alternative lifestyle, then dust off that Woodstock album, er... CD and enjoy the ride.