Sleeping Where I Fall: A Chronicle [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

I thought there were problems with the story: The writing seemed amateurish at times, and there were certain logical conflicts. For instance: I had trouble with why, if the vehicles were so lovingly taken care of, they were always breaking down; or how Peter could descend into a cold-call investment scheme. These things lead me to believe there was more to the story than was being told. Based on what I read, I perceive that Peter didn't (and perhaps doesn't) know himself quite as well as he thought he did.

From the read, it is never clear what kind of world the "Hippies" (for lack of a better word) thought was better. And am I supposed to believe that Heroin was going to make me a better parent? With all the discourse about how this or that action was either for or against the group goals, it's hard for me to justify on any level how drugs could be considered a positive thing. In many ways, Peter and his associates were still tightly attached to the main stream - more resembling a flock of refugees, than delegates of an alternative path. Much like reading Carlos Casteneda's "Teachings of Don Juan," I became very frustrated at times, waiting for Peter to wake up and see what was standing right before his eyes.

What were the positive things this movement had to offer, and how have they influenced, say, my life?

One thing that serves to separate us from the preceding generation is a distrust of the status quo, gained largely due to the Viet Nam debacle. Since that time, I haven't seen or heard one thing that would lead me to believe that those in the high echelons of government are anything other than pathological liars. But it wasn't the Hippie movement per se that set me free. It was books like "The Pentagon Papers", and other literary tidbits from disaffected insiders. And although I found something of an identity from the counter-cultural movements of that time, I never ended up swallowing their view of the universe either. It's easy, though, to imagine that, without the counter-culture, most of this information would never have seen the light of day. Over time, I did come to see that there are many world views, and ultimately this was a vital step on the road to my present philosophy. The environmental issues, so plainly evoked in this book, were representative of the opening skermishes of a paradigm shift that (hopefully) continues to this day. My pet peeve, population, wasn't addressed in this accounting, even though it was a profound discovery of that time as well. I was surprised it wasn't brought out more, although it has occured to me that Peter and his cohorts may not have dealt with it at the time.

Despite all my bemoaning the details, this is a "big" book about a big time. Closest to my heart were the friends and aquaintences that fell by the wayside. I know about that, and I know that reliving those moments was hard for Peter.

My motivation for reading this book is simply that "It was lying in my path." As a result of the reading, I learned that a certain experience I had was not unique. ('Can't tell you what it is, though. The importance of this particular message is not for everyone.)

As an affecting, personal accounting of a troubling time in our nation's history, I am driven to give this book my highest rating. You will have to decide for yourself if you agree with my judgement.