I've read better accounts of the planning of Woodstock, and, of course the event itself, and aftermath. This books ok, but I learned a lot more in other books.

Barefoot in Babylon is a concise history of how the Woodstock Music and Art Fair came to be. This being the 50th anniversary of Woodstock, it seemed like the perfect time to give this one a go.

The book is thoroughly researched and packed with a lot of details of what went on behind the scenes. It's written in a way that keeps the readers attention and makes you feel like you are in the room with John Roberts, Joel Rosenman, Michael Lang, and Artie Kornfeld on February 6, 1969 when the idea is pitched by Lang and Kornfeld to Roberts and Rosenman, and you're with them every step of the way until the festival closes. You are taken on the rollercoaster ride of the planning, negotiations with various entities, setbacks, and victories that Woodstock Ventures endured to put on the now iconic festival and at the festival itself listening to the music and experiencing the atmosphere.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of this period of time or lived it, is a fan of the music, or wants to learn more about Woodstock itself and all that went in to putting it together. I found it to be completely fascinating. I was amazed by all the things these four went through in putting Woodstock together and seeing it through to the end. The author does an excellent job of giving you a lot of information, but in a way that doesn't overwhelm the reader.

My appreciation to NetGalley, Bob Spitz, and Penguin Group Dutton for gifting me an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this book!! It’s like actually being there. Feeling the energy and the crowds. The music and the art must have been amazing.

No way! Just no way it’s been a half-century since Woodstock. Hubs has a friend who went and emerged half brain dead because of all the acid dropped. It was that kind of event, along with a musical gathering never again duplicated with Jimi, Janis, the Dead, The Who, and a host of others from the peace and love era. The intended focus is Woodstock’s creation, the Sturm und Drang of the planning, and BAREFOOT IN BABYLON captures that well. But where are the photos, where is the soul of the event that changed the American landscape? I so wanted to be in that throng, hear the electric twang of Hendrix’s Anthem, smell the aromatic ganja, feel the deluge of rain upon the face. Alas, when I “came upon a child of God walking along the road to Yasgur’s Farm,” I could neither see his love beads nor sense the longing in his heart. 3/5

Pub Date 29 Jul 2014.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.

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