Doug's Student Reference Room

Date of Review:

03/01/2009

Published Work:

American Countercultures: An Encyclopedia of Nonconformists, Alternative Lifestyles, and Radical Ideas in U.S. History

Reviewer:

Doug Achterman

Source:

Gale Cengage Reference Reviews

Review Excerpt:

The editor of this set defines a “counterculture” as “a culture in its own right, but one whose core values and lifestyle stand outside the mainstream and that, actively or implicitly, seeks to change the status quo.” While many may focus their ideas about American countercultures on the 1960s, this definition allows for Puritans and punks, for the Hell’s Angels and the temperance movement. While organized alphabetically, the entries were chosen according to a few key types, including those related to religion, politics and economics, identity, art, and lifestyle and recreation countercultures. Entries range in length from a half page to four pages in length and include an introduction to the topic and a discussion of how it represents a counterculture. Entries are cross-referenced with “see also” tags and include a few suggestions for further reading. A topic finder is included in each volume grouping entries into 18 categories, including arts and artists, biographies, civil rights, drugs and drug culture, ideologies and theories, literature, media, religions and spiritual movements and sociopolitical movements. This set would be a useful resource in helping students view countercultures as part of the natural evolution of a nation’s history, affording ample opportunities for comparison across and within eras. The final volume includes a handful of primary source documents loosely representing critical times in U.S. history from the 17th century to the late 1960s. A 30-page bibliography and a 10-page filmography may prove valuable for additional research, as well. Recommended for high school and college libraries.