Huerfano: A Memoir of Life in the Counterculture by Roberta Price (review)

B o o k R e v ie w s 23 1 H u e r f a n o : A M e m o ir o f L if e in t h e C o u n t e r c u lt u r e . B y R o b e r t a P r ic e . A m h e r s t : U n i v e r s i t y o f M a s s a c h u s e t t s P r e ss, 2 0 0 4 . 3 5 5 p a g e s, $ 2 9 .9 5 . R e v i e w e d b y R o b e r t M u r r a y D a v i s U n iv e r sit y o f O k la h o m a , P r o fe sso r E m e r it u s I n t h e o ld d ay s, u p t h r o u gh t h e b e g in n in g o f W o r ld W a r I, say, t h e b ild u n gsr o m a n b e g a n in d o u b t a n d c o n fu sio n a n d e n d e d in a r e so lv e t o a c t o r a sp ir it u a l o r a e st h e t ic e p ip h a n y . In c o n t r a st , d e v e lo p m e n t st o r ie s fr o m t h e 1 9 6 0 s a n d ’7 0 s c o u n t e r c u lt u r e t e n d t o b e g in in a b so lu t e c e r t a in t y t h a t t h e n a r r a t o r a n d fr ie n d s a r e sp ir it u a lly su p e r io r t o a c o r r u p t so c ie t y a n d a r e c e r t a in t h a t t h e y c a n c r e a t e a n e w a n d b e t t e r o n e . T h e c e r t a in t y gr a d u a lly fla k e s a w a y a s t h e r e a l w o r ld — se x u a l a n d fin a n c ia l c o m p lic a t io n s, e go s, d r o u gh t , v isio n s t h a t in t e r fe r e w it h p r a c t ic a l w o r k — a b r a d e s id e a lism . T h is k in d o f sto r y e n d s, if n o t in t e a r s, w it h p r o t a g o n ist s e m e r g in g fr o m t h e c o u n t e r c u lt u r e w it h so m e o f t h e o r ig in a l id e als a d a p t e d t o t h e so c ie t y a t la r ge , m o v in g in t o c a r e e r s t h a t w o...