Member Reviews
Daryl R, Educator
This book would be a good read for those who are both experts on Woodstock and the music of the era and those who are just started to explore it. Hearing from people actually involved with the festival makes this an interesting and informative read.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
Earl M, Reviewer
Woodstock at 50: Anatomy of a Revolution by Aidan Prewett is about what the music event meant, both then and in the years since, to those involved and society as a whole. There are plenty of light fare books that just offer a rehash of the festival and some gossip. Those are certainly fun books and apparently what some people with reading comprehension issues with book descriptions prefer. But if you want to think about the effects going forward from that weekend then this book is an excellent starting point.
Yes, the Woodstock festival is indeed front and center in the book, but just as much for what it means as for simply who played when and under what hardships. The interviewees range all over the board with what direction they take when discussing this pivotal event and what came after (and to some extent what came before). And yes, some of the comments do serve as a precautionary tale for our troubled times. At times optimistic, at times pessimistic, but unless you drank the MAGA Kool Aid you will be able to appreciate the range of ideas and comments.
I would recommend this to both those of us who remember Woodstock very well and for those too young to remember it but are curious about why it is still referred to so often. Okay, maybe the people my age who wear red ball caps might not appreciate looking at it as anything more than a music festival, but those of us who are more evolved and think about opportunities lost and ideas faded from the headiness of the period will appreciate the reflections both musical and cultural the interviewees offer.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
