Farm Friends: From the Late Sixties to the West Seventies and Beyond

by Tom Fels, Carl Oglesby (Foreword)

Farm Friends is a memoir and a study of the generation of the 1960s. Beginning on a communal farm in 1969, it continues as a personal chronicle of the author and his extended family up to the present day. From the greenhouse in the spring to haying in the summer; from cold, wood-heated winters to abundant home-cooked dinners in the fall, back-to-the-land communards of the late '60s and early '70s made their way in a new and unfamiliar world. Later, relocated in cities and towns across the country, they used what they had learned to continue to explore and to influence life as they found it in the late 20th and early 21st century. What sort of individuals did the rebellious and anti-establishment youth become? How much of their idealism did they retain in the coming decades, as many of them were pulled into mainstream and urban life? Such issues are at the core of Farm Friends. The author's narrative traces the earlier roots and later pursuits of some of the many participants, companions and friends attracted to this new way of life. Written in a clear and literate manner, Farm Friends is intended as readable history, stories interwoven into an ongoing narrative that suggests the fabric of an entire generation. From care of the cow and auto repair in rural New England, to Paris, London, and San Francisco, Farm Friends spans nearly fifty years in the life of the author and his friends, and sets before the reader materials for a reassessment of a complex generation.

407 pages, Paperback

First published May 15, 2008

Reviews

[Merrikay]

I always enjoy a "Where are they now?" story.  Fels was one of the members of The Farm, one of those northeastern U.S. communes of the late 60s.  The subtitle is "From the late Sixties to the West Seventies and Beyond" which I thought was very clever.  I have read several books about communal living and this was especially fun, finding out what happened to people later in life.  The later was only ten years initially, altho there was some added info.  

Fels introduces the members of this commune individually so that you begin to feel that you know them somewhat in depth.  This is a study of individuals and relationships rather than a study of the process of this lifestyle.  Then Fels describes what he learned from them or heard about them from other members, at The Farm's ten year reunion.  Careers, relationships, philosophies, what has changed, what stayed the same - all fascinating to me.      

It seems to me that most of these people managed to stay true to their beliefs and philosophies on some level at least.  And I am speaking here of stereotypical values of communal living, democracy, class issues, social justice, materialism, etc. from a progressive perspective.  At the same time, there is a certain amount of compromise involved of course.  Nevertheless, many of them managed to find a way outside of The Farm to make a living in a manner congruent to their beliefs in SOME way.  For example, there were a few writers, one of whom said that he learned to follow the market by writing in the particular genre that would sell such as SF, while still shaping the story to express his beliefs.  Many chose to work at non-profits working toward social justice.  It seemed they mostly had to invent their own work, which I found particularly wonderful.  One member who loved music managed to work putting concerts together that served as fund-raisers for his favorite issues.

Here's what bothered me somewhat - it turns out most of these initial members were not just a bunch of hippies hanging out.  They were mostly well educated people with family connections.  It seemed to me THAT is how they were able to put together those social justice careers.  It is easier to get published if your family is in the publishing business or if you have a Harvard degree or if your parents are ivy-league professors.  It is easier to put a concert together  if your friends include James Taylor and Carly Simon, even if they were all just starting out.

However, I still found this book to be lots of fun to read and also inspiring.  I think it is full of great ideas about living your values, even if you don't have the social connections to back them up so easily.

[Elyssa]

This book started out strong. I found the author's retelling of his days on a communal farm to be very interesting. Unfortunately, this part of the book was brief and the remainder of the book is a follow-up on some of the author's "farm friends" in the 1980s and then the 1990s. Also, the author writes about his own background from his farm days to the present. Unfortunately, the post-farm lives of the author and his friends are surprisingly dull. The restrospective is made even worse by the author's dry and disjointed storytelling.