A New Dawn for the New Left - by B Slonecker (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

This book examines the underground Liberation News Service and the commune Montague Farm to trace the evolution of the New Left after 1968. In the process, it extends the chronological breadth of the long Sixties, rethinks the relationship between political and cultural radicalism, and explores the relationships between diverse social movements.

Review Quotes

"Slonecker has spun an extraordinary tale of the intersection of communal living and journalism. A New Dawn for the New Left takes its place alongside Abe Peck's pioneering Uncovering the Sixties (1985) and John McMillian's brilliant Smoking Typewriters (2011) as essential reading on America's once-thriving underground press and the era it helped shape." - The Journal of American History

"This slim, jargon-free volume packs a big punch. It not only establishes the New Left's utopian credentials, it advances the argument for a long 1960s. Historians and students of late twentieth-century America will find much of value in this cogent, balanced, and remarkably sophisticated analysis of the New Left's utopian impulse." - American Historical Review

"At root, Slonecker offers more a cultural than a conventional political history of American radicals, locating their politics largely in their internecine dealings. In this approach, it succeeds brilliantly, reminding us that hard and patient work to change self and society both may produce new dawns, with wider vistas of freedom and justice." - H-Net Reviews

"Slonecker's book makes a substantial contribution to the literature about the Sixties." - The Rag Blog

"This book contributes significantly to moving beyond dead-end narratives of 'the Sixties' by demonstrating real continuities of activism stretching into 'the Seventies' (whatever one thinks those are) and the 1980s. Beyond that, it does something that few historians of the New Left have ventured: connect the social spaces and cultural habits of the hard core counter-culture to actual left organizations and real debates." - Van Gosse, author of Rethinking the New Left

"In this extraordinary undertaking, Blake Slonecker brings to life a theme that has long been understated in our historical literature. With meticulous research and engaging prose, he shows how the New Left's utopian strivings and vigorous politics outlived the Sixties and thrived in the Seventies. This is a path-breaking book by a promising and energetic young historian. It is also a lot of fun to read!" - John McMillian, author of Smoking Typewriters: The Sixties Underground Press and the Rise of Alternative Media in America

About the Author

Blake Slonecker is Associate Professor of History and Chair of Humanities at Heritage University, USA. His work has appeared in the Journal of Social History and The Sixties: A Journal of History, Politics and Culture.