Recordpub.com - One for the Books: Celebrating Woodstock

This month marks 40 years since the Woodstock Music Festival took place in upstate New York. For those who were there, or even for those who think we're talking about Snoopy's bird, several books have just been published to celebrate the wonder of Woodstock. That includes the music, yes, but also youth, freedom, hope, optimism, magical thinking, and a longing for peace -- peace in the world and peace in one's soul.

"Taking Woodstock: A True Story of a Riot, a Concert, and a Life" is a memoir written by Elliot Tiber with Tom Monte. Tiber spent his boyhood in Brooklyn, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants. The family was dysfunctional, and his mother was downright abusive. Her actions had me saying "Oh, no" aloud. He writes: "We 'loved' chocolate and we 'loved' our television set. But we never said that we loved each other, and certainly no one in our family was treated with any real love." In 1955, his parents bought a motel in White Lake, N.Y., but they ran it very badly, so they persuaded him to manage it. The motel was in really bad shape: "Many of the doors didn't have doorknobs, and fewer still had keys. The mattresses were hard and lumpy; the linoleum, broken and blackened." They were losing money and the bank was closing in.

Meanwhile, Tiber had been organizing a small music and arts festival every year to bring tourists into the town. When event producer Michael Lang's deal fell through for a music festival in another town, Tiber contacted him, and, using his parents' motel as a base of operations and with a staging area set up on the land of his friend, dairy farmer Max Yasgur, the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival we all know was born. Tiber describes all the preparation -- "A tent city was taking shape, and a sea of people and colors was filling up the eighty acres that Max had set aside for the event" -- as well as the chaotic days of the festival itself. He describes the festival-goers: "They were long-haired, denim-clad, loose-hipped, barefooted, bandanaed, and free. Many had colored their hair in shades of orange, pink, red, green, purple, and blue. A lot of them wore beads, peace symbols, and various other ornaments in their hair and around their necks, wrists, and ankles. Some had unkempt beards, very few of them showered with any regularity, and fewer still cared much for the world's approval. Everyone sang, it seemed, and everyone laughed. I had never heard so much laughter in all of my life." The event ended up attracting "about 500,000 people there, plus up to a million more stuck in traffic," which was backed up for about ninety miles. It became Woodstock Nation: "Woodstock was a life force unto itself, with its own code, and powerful beyond our wildest dreams."

It's a fun read. I saw Woodstock from a completely different perspective. But it's a very intimate memoir, and his discussion of his budding sexuality and his later experiences as a gay man were a bit disturbing, particularly because some of them were dangerous. It was a time, after all, of persecution of gays by bullies, bigots and police. The happenings at Woodstock had a very personal message for him: "The values of Woodstock -- to insist on the freedom to be oneself and to give and receive love -- had transformed me, and there was no going back." This new paperback edition is a tie-in with the movie premiering this month by Academy Award winning director Ang Lee. The book is a fine, well-written and even funny memoir and, like the movie, should be rated R.

"By the Time We Got to Woodstock: The Great Rock 'n' Roll Revolution of 1969" by Bruce Pollock is a book-length cultural essay by a music historian who puts Woodstock in its place among the events of 1968 to 1970, from the election of Richard Nixon as president to the May 4, 1970, killings at Kent State University. Says the author, "After the crushing defeats and confusions of 1968, 1969 would be a year of radical and profound personal risks, changes, and choices in the way music was perceived, written about, experienced, exploited, played, and disseminated." He discusses the interaction of music, personalities and politics; the war, the draft, the sexual revolution; the end of the Beatles, the death of rock icons, the birth of FM radio; protest songs, the merging and blending of folk, rock, and country, the birth of heavy metal; from flower children to Hell's Angels, from "Age of Aquarius" to "Four Dead in Ohio." His writing can be a bit hectic, but his information is fascinating. He adds insightful quotes from artists, journalists and fans about the music and the times. For example, Richie Havens talks about performing at Woodstock: "The sound was the best I ever played under, and I heard my voice go right out over the hillside to New York City. It was the most amazing thing. It was the perfect marriage of sound and air and environment." The paperback includes two dozen photos, a timeline, index and bibliography.

Here are a few other commemorative books now available:

* "The Road to Woodstock" comes from Michael Lang, the festival's creator and producer, who looks back at the phenomenon from its conception to culmination.

* "The Woodstock Story Book" by Linanne G. Sackett has 240 full-color photographs by Barry Z. Levine. Events are arranged chronologically to bring back the sights of the entire festival.

* "Woodstock: Three Days That Rocked the World" edited by Mike Evans and Paul Kingsbury also gives a chronological account of the festival, adding photos, interviews and quotes from participants.

* "Woodstock Revisited: 50 Far Out, Groovy, Peace-Loving, Flashback-Inducing Stories from Those Who Were There" by Susan Reynolds features stories by and about those in the audience.

* "Woodstock: Peace, Music & Memories" by Brad Littleproud and Joanne Hague offers 350 photos and has interviews with performers and people in the crowd. The authors are the proprietors of the Woodstock Preservation Society.

* "Back to the Garden: The Story of Woodstock" is by disc jockey and music historian Pete Fornatale, who not only gives the perspectives of the performers, but also looks into the background of the Woodstock project itself. With photos.

* Only 1,000 copies will be available of the two-volume boxed set of "Woodstock Experience" from Genesis Publications, each one signed by Michael Lang and singer-songwriter Arlo Guthrie. The current price in the U.K. is £395.

Write to Books@recordpub.com; find book news and more online at www.recordpub.com; click "News" in the menu bar, then "Lifetimes," and find "One for the Books."

------
------
BOOK NOTES, One for the Books Extra Online Exclusives:

------
Follow me on Twitter @One4TheBooks.
------
Check out my new blog on books, inspiration, fun and thought-provoking goodies! It’s called “Shine A Light!”

http://blogs.dixcdn.com/shine_a_light/

If you lose that link, go to www.recordpub.com. Click “Blogs” in the blue bar at the top of the page, and find “Shine A Light.”

------
LOCAL BOOK CLUBS:

The Book Discussion Group at the Randolph Library meets the first Monday of the month, except August, at 6:30 p.m. in the Randolph Senior Center. The group is open to everyone, and new members are always welcome. The library will stock copies of the books each month. Call the library at 330-325-7003.

Pierce-Streetsboro Library’s Book Discussion Group meets regularly on the second Monday of each month at 6:45 p.m. in the library’s meeting room. New members are always welcome to attend and participate in the discussion. The library is located at 8990 Kirby Lane in Streetsboro, next to the administrative offices of the Streetsboro City Schools. For more information, call the library at 330-626-4458.

The Book Discussion Group at the Mogadore Branch of the Akron-Summit County Library, 144 S. Cleveland Ave., 330-628-9228, meets at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays to discuss books.
------
------
Cokie Roberts reviews WHERE MERCY FAILS: DARFUR’S STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE for NCR Online:
http://ncronline.org/node/14301

------
from Shelf Awareness -- New Titles Out August 18:

The White Queen: A Novel by Philippa Gregory
A Princess of Landover by Terry Brooks
Dreamfever by Karen Marie Moning
Hell's Gate: A Novel by Stephen Frey
Soul of a Dog: Reflections on the Spirits of the Animals of Bedlam Farm by Jon Katz

Now in paperback:

Summer of Two Wishes by Julia London
------

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST-SELLERS
By The Associated Press

HARDCOVER FICTION
1. “Bad Moon Rising: A Dark-Hunter Novel” by Sherrilyn Kenyon, (St. Martin’s)
2. “That Old Cape Magic: A Novel” by Richard Russo (Knopf)
3. “The Girl Who Played With Fire” by Stieg Larsson (Knopf)
4. “Best Friends Forever” by Jennifer Weiner (Atria)
5. “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett (Putnam/Amy Einhorn)
6. “Inherent Vice” by Thomas Pynchon (Penguin)
7. “Swimsuit” by James Patterson, Maxine Paetro (Little, Brown)
8. “The Defector” by Daniel Silva (Putnam)
9. “The Traffickers” by W.E.B. Griffin, William E. Butterworth IV (Putnam Adult)
10. “Twenties Girl” by Sophie Kinsella (Dial Press)
11. “Dead and Gone” by Charlaine Harris (Ace)
12. “Rules of Vengeance” by Christopher Reich (Doubleday)
13. “Black Hills” by Nora Roberts (Putnum Adult)
14. “Finger Lickin’ Fifteen” by Janet Evanovich (St. Martin’s)
15. “The Winds of Dune” by Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson (Tor)

HARDCOVER NONFICTION
1. “Culture of Corruption: Culture of Corruption: Obama and His Team of Tax Cheats, Crooks, and Cronies” by Michelle Malkin (Regnery Publishing)
2. “Outliers: The Story of Success” by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown)
3. “Catastrophe” by Dick Morris, Eileen McGann (Harper)
4. “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment” by Steve Harvey (Amistad)
5. “In the President’s Secret Service: Behind the Scenes with Agents in the Line of Fire and the Presidents They Protect” by Ronald Kessler (Crown)
6. “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, Simone Beck, and Sidonie Coryn (Alfred A. Knopf)
7. “Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto” by Mark R. Levin (Threshold Editions)
8. “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion)
9. “Our Lady of Guadalupe: Mother of the Civilization of Love” by Carl Anderson, Eduardo Chavez (Doubleday Religion)
10. “Michael Jackson: The Magic, The Madness, The Whole Story, 1958-2009” by J. Randy Taraborrelli (Grand Central)
11. “Master Your Metabolism: The 3 Diet Secrets to Naturally Balancing Your Hormones for a Hot and Healthy Body!” by Jillian Michaels and Mariska van Aalst (Crown)
12. “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne (Atria)
13. “Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America” by Douglas Brinkley (Harper)
14. “Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson” by Ian Halperin (Simon Spotlight Entertainment)
15. “A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity” by Bill O’Reilly (Broadway)

MASS MARKET PAPERBACKS
1. “Bengals Heart” by Lora Leigh (Berkley)
2. “Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein: Dead and Alive” by Dean Koontz (Bantam)
3. “Storm of Visions: the Chosen Ones” by Christina Dodd (Signet)
4. “The Quickie” by James Patterson, Michael Ledwidge (Vision)
5. “Chosen to Die” by Lisa Jackson (Zebra)
6. “Smoke Screen” by Sandra Brown (Pocket)
7. “Mastered by Love” by Stephanie Laurens (Avon)
8. “My Sister’s Keeper” by Jodi Picoult (Pocket)
9. “Dead Until Dark” by Charlaine Harris (Ace)
10. “From Dead to Worse” by Charlaine Harris (Ace)
11. “Club Dead” by Charlaine Harris (Ace)
12. “Promises in Death” by J.D. Robb (Berkley)
13. “Living Dead in Dallas” by Charlaine Harris (Ace)
14. “Wyoming Brides: Denim and Diamonds 1/4The Wyoming Kid” by Debbie Macomber (Mira)
15. “The Bridegroom” by Linda Lael Miller (HQN)

TRADE PAPERBACKS
1. “The Time Traveler’s Wife” by Audrey Niffenegger (Mariner Books)
2. “Glenn Beck’s Common Sense: The Case Against an Out-of-Control Government, Inspired by Thomas Paine” by Glenn Beck (Threshold Editions)
3. “The Shack” by William P. Young (Windblown Media)
4. “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larsson (Vintage)
5. “Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously” by Julie Powell (Back Bay Books)
6. “The Weight of Silence” by Heather Gudenkauf (Mira)
7. “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (Dial)
8. “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” by Jane Austin and Seth Grahame-Smith (Quirk Books)
9. “I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell” by Tucker Max (Citadel)
10. “Olive Kitteredge” by Elizabeth Strout (Random House Trade Paperbacks)
11. “The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel” by Garth Stein (Harper)
12. “Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time” by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Penguin)
13. “My Life in France” by Julia Child, Alex Prud’Homme, (Anchor)
14. “The Hour I First Believed” by Wally Lamb (Harper)
15. “The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power” by Jeff Sharlet (Harper Perennial)
------

WALL STREET JOURNAL BEST-SELLERS
By The Associated Press

FICTION
1. “Bad Moon Rising: A Dark-Hunter Novel” by Sherrilyn Kenyon, (St. Martin’s)
2. “That Old Cape Magic: A Novel” by Richard Russo (Knopf)
3. “Breaking Dawn” by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown for Young Readers)
4. “Eclipse” by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown and Company)
5. “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett (Putnam/Amy Einhorn)
6. “The Girl Who Played With Fire” by Stieg Larsson (Knopf)
7. “Inherent Vice” by Thomas Pynchon (Penguin)
8. “Best Friends Forever” by Jennifer Weiner (Atria)
9. “The Defector” by Daniel Silva (Putnam)
10. “The Traffickers” by W.E.B. Griffin, William E. Butterworth IV (Putnam Adult)
11. “Swimsuit” by James Patterson, Maxine Paetro (Little, Brown)
12. “The Last Olympian” by Rick Riordan (Disney Hyperion Books for Children)
13. “Ranger’s Apprentice: The Siege of Macindaw” by John Flanagan (Philomel)
14. “Dead and Gone” by Charlaine Harris (Ace Hardcover)
15. “Rules of Vengeance” by Christopher Reich (Doubleday)

NONFICTION
1. “Culture of Corruption: Culture of Corruption: Obama and His Team of Tax Cheats, Crooks, and Cronies” by Michelle Malkin (Regnery Publishing)
2. “Outliers: The Story of Success” by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown)
3. “In the President’s Secret Service: Behind the Scenes with Agents in the Line of Fire and the Presidents They Protect” by Ronald Kessler (Crown)
4. “Catastrophe” by Dick Morris, Eileen McGann (Harper)
5. “Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto” by Mark R. Levin (Threshold Editions)
6. “StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup’s Now, Discover Your Strengths” by Tom Rath (Gallup Press)
7. “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, Simone Beck, and Sidonie Coryn (Alfred A. Knopf)
8. “Our Lady of Guadalupe: Mother of the Civilization of Love” by Carl Anderson, Eduardo Chavez (Doubleday Religion)
9. “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment” by Steve Harvey (Amistad)
10. “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion)
11. “Master Your Metabolism: The 3 Diet Secrets to Naturally Balancing Your Hormones for a Hot and Healthy Body!” by Jillian Michaels and Mariska van Aalst (Crown)
12. “A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity” by Bill O’Reilly (Broadway)
13. “End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite” by David Kessler (Rodale Books)
14. “Excuses Begone!: How to Change Lifelong, Self-Defeating Thinking Habits” by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer (Hay House)
15. “In Fed We Trust: Ben Bernanke’s War on the Great Panic” by David Wessel (Crown Business)

The Wall Street Journal’s list reflects nationwide sales of hardcover books during the week ended last Saturday at more than 2,500 Barnes & Noble, B. Dalton, Bookland, Books-a-Million, Books & Co., Bookstar, Bookstop, Borders, Brentano’s, Coles, Coopersmith, Doubleday, Scribners and Waldenbooks stores, as well as sales from online retailers Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.
------

USA TODAY Best Sellers
By The Associated Press
Key: F-Fiction; NF-Nonfiction; H-Hardcover; P-Paperback

1. “Eclipse” by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) (F-H)
2. “The Time Traveler’s Wife” by Audrey Niffenegger (Mariner Books) (F-P)
3. “New Moon” by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) (F-P)
4. “Glenn Beck’s Common Sense: The Case Against an Out-of-Control Government, Inspired by Thomas Paine” by Glenn Beck (Threshold Editions) (NF-P)
5. “Breaking Dawn” by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) (F-H)
6. “Twilight” by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) (F-P)
7. “Chosen to Die” by Lisa Jackson (Zebra) (F-P)
8. “The Shack” by William P. Young (Windblown Media) (F-P)
9. “Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously” by Julie Powell (Back Bay Books) (NF-P)
10. “Bad Moon Rising: A Dark-Hunter Novel” by Sherrilyn Kenyon, (St. Martin’s) (F-H)
11. “Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein: Dead and Alive” by Dean Koontz (Bantam) (F-P)
12. “Wyoming Brides: Denim and Diamonds 1/4The Wyoming Kid” by Debbie Macomber (Mira) (F-P)
13. “The Quickie” by James Patterson, Michael Ledwidge (Vision) (F-P)
14. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” by J.K. Rowling, art by Mary GrandPre (Arthur A. Levine Books) (F-P)
15. “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larsson (Vintage) (F-P)
16. “The Bridegroom” by Linda Lael Miller (HQN) (F-P)
17. “Smoke Screen: A Novel” by Sandra Brown (Pocket) (F-P)
18. “Promises in Death” by J.D. Robb (Berkley) (F-P)
19. “My Sister’s Keeper: A Novel” by Jodi Picoult (Pocket) (F-P)
20. “Culture of Corruption: Culture of Corruption: Obama and His Team of Tax Cheats, Crooks, and Cronies” by Michelle Malkin (Regnery Publishing) (NF-H)
21. “Mastered by Love” by Stephanie Laurens (Avon) (F-P)
22. “Bengal’s Heart” by Lora Leigh (Berkley) (F-P)
23. “Storm of Visions: the Chosen Ones” by Christina Dodd (Signet) (F-P)
24. “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett (Putnam/Amy Einhorn) (F-H)
25. “The Girl Who Played With Fire” by Stieg Larsson (Knopf) (F-H)
26. “Best Friends Forever” by Jennifer Weiner (Atria) (F-H)
27. “My Life in France” by Julia Child, Alex Prud’Homme, (Anchor) (NF-P)
28. “That Old Cape Magic: A Novel” by Richard Russo (Knopf) (F-H)
29. “The Weight of Silence” by Heather Gudenkauf (Mira) (F-P)
30. “Dead Until Dark” by Charlaine Harris (Ace) (F-P)
31. “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (Dial) (F-P)
32. “The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel” by Garth Stein (Harper) (F-P)
33. “Swimsuit” by James Patterson, Maxine Paetro (Little, Brown) (F-H)
34. “Almost Home” by Debbie Macomber, Cathy Lamb, Judy Duarte, Mary Carter (Zebra) (F-P)
35. “Blue Moon: The Immortals” by Alyson Noel (St. Martin’s Griffin) (F-P)
36. “Forever: Rules of the Game 1/4The Heart’s Victory” by Nora Roberts (Silhouette) (F-P)
37. “Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time” by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Penguin) (NF-P)
38. “Inherent Vice” by Thomas Pynchon (Penguin) (F-H)
39. “The Defector” by Daniel Silva (Putnam) (F-H)
40. “Barefoot: A Novel” by Elin Hilderbrand (Little, Brown) (F-P)
41. “Sleepless in Scotland” by Karen Hawkins (Pocket) (F-P)
42. “A Duke of Her Own” by Eloisa James (Avon) (F-P)
43. “Olive Kitteridge” by Elizabeth Strout (Random House) (F-P)
44. “Living Dead in Dallas” by Charlaine Harris (Ace) (F-P)
45. “Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto” by Mark R. Levin (Threshold Editions) (NF-H)
46. “Black Hills” by Nora Roberts (G.P. Putnam’s Sons) (F-H)
47. “From Dead to Worse” by Charlaine Harris (Ace)(F-P)
48. “Ranger’s Apprentice: The Siege of Macindaw” by John Flanagan (Philomel) (F-H)
49. “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” by Jane Austin and Seth Grahame-Smith (Quirk Books) (F-P)
50. “A Strangers Game” by Joan Johnston (Pocket) (F-P)

Reporting stores include Amazon.com, B. Dalton Bookseller, Barnes & Noble.com, Barnes & Noble Inc., Books-A-Million and Bookland, Booksamillion.com, Borders Books & Music, Bookstar, Bookstop, Brentano’s, Davis Kidd Booksellers in Nashville, Jackson, Memphis, Tenn., Doubleday Book Shops, Hudson Booksellers, Joseph-Beth Booksellers (Lexington, Ky.; Cincinnati, Cleveland), Powell’s Books (Portland, Ore.), Powells.com, R.J. Julia Booksellers (Madison, Conn.), Schuler.
-----
Here's a link to a list of authors now making the media rounds:

http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4632078

------
------
Here are links to other recent One for the Books columns. More links are available on my blog at http://blogs.dixcdn.com/shine_a_light/one-for-the-books/

A Potpourri of Fiction -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4638792

Memorable Friendships -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4634430

Three Fictional Visits to Africa -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4625472

Surprising Adventures in the Lives of Monks -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4616188

Mysteries for Summer Reading -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4606477

Father’s Day Gift Ideas -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4596658

Novels Set in India -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4592641


------
Thanks for reading One for the Books. Please let us know what kind of book news you’d like to see on this page. Send e-mail to Books@recordpub.com. Send other mail to Mary Louise Ruehr, Books Editor, Record-Courier, 126 N. Chestnut St. (P.O. Box 1201), Ravenna, OH 44266.

“One for the Books” appears the second and fourth Fridays of the month in the Record-Courier. Extra columns may appear on occasion, especially preceding Christmas and Hanukkah.