Top 5 Historical Fiction Books That Capture the Spirit of the 1960s & ‘70s
[Co Rentmeester/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images]
Perhaps the closest alternative to time travel is immersing in books, literature, and other artforms to vicariously catch a glimpse of bygone periods in human history. While the same sentiment can be applied to any era, I look specifically to 1960s and 1970s America — where the music was undeniably groovy and the styles were simply far out. When I think of the 1960s, my mind immediately wanders to the Summer of Love, a period where strives toward peace, evolving lifestyles, and finding new ways of expression clashed underneath the heat of the summer sun.
These five books capture the spirit of those heady days, narrated by fictional characters from their own unique perspectives. Note that these are in no particular order. Leave your own favorites in the comments below!
Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau
“I think we did it right those couple of months, don't you? Great food, great music, and great fun. Don't ever let anyone tell you that fun isn't important because, damn, Mary Jane, if there's one thing I've learned in my strange life, it's that fun counts.”
Summary: Set in 1970s Baltimore, 14-year-old Mary Jane’s summer has just begun. Babysitting her neighbors’ child, Izzy Cone, to earn some pocket money seems feasible on the surface, but throw in the fact that Izzy’s parents are liberals and that psychiatrist Dr. Cone is expecting a live-in rock star patient. Mary Jane has just entered the summer she’ll soon never forget. Our narrator is stuck somewhere between her straight-laced family’s traditional values and the progressive family she nannies for — the latter of which opens her eyes to a world of freedom, possibilites, and great music.
Why I love it: From the first few sentences, we are immediately thrust into the world of Mary Jane and The Cones. Blau’s clever use of metaphors paints a crisp, vibrant image of the scenes that unfold as you read; you’ll know exactly the familiar feeling that’s being described on the spot. Additionally, Blau leans into the descriptions so much that you can easily conjure the image in your head. There are plenty of references to the decade’s music, television shows, and fashion as much as there are descriptors of the evolving principles of the time. It’s a coming-of-age story with a heartfelt ending that admittedly made me teary-eyed. The author takes us on a journey to 1970s suburbia through the lens of Mary Jane for a summer that I truly never wanted to end.
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
“And baby, when you think of me, I hope it ruins rock ‘n’ roll”
Summary: Daisy Jones knows her way around the exhilarating streets of Los Angeles in the late 1960s, sneaking into clubs and associating with rock stars. Despite this lifestyle being amusing, Daisy aches to become a famous singer and devote herself to rock and roll. With her charm and voice now gaining recognition in the industry, she eventually crosses paths with Billy Dunne of the famed rock band The Six. Together, with the band, they become legends in the rising realm of rock music that leads into the seventies.
Why I Love It: The fact that the entire story is one big interview. I cannot begin to describe how refreshing it was to read a story with this format and its multiple narrators and points of view. If you’re worried that this uniqueness takes away from the plot, like I was at first, don’t be. Reid makes these group of characters so distinct in their own ways that it is easy to fall in love with them. The storyline documents the band’s humble beginnings and rise to super-stardom through different voices. There’s mention of Hollywood’s playground the Sunset Strip, Whisky A Go-Go, Château Marmot, and more. The surprise ending will make you want to re-read the book all over again from a new perspective.
Park Avenue Summer by Renee Rosen
“She was calculatingly unapologetic about her enhancements. She depended on them like an artist depended on paint and brushes. They were essential in the making of her ultimate creation, which of course, was the making of herself, Helen Gurley Brown. Millions of single girls would become her disciples, but there was only one Helen.”
Summary: Set in 1960s New York, aspiring photographer Alice Wiess is chasing her big-city dreams after having left her small Midwestern town behind. After a turn of events, Alice finds herself working for none other than the first female editor in chief of Cosmopolitan magazine, Helen Gurley Brown. Although it may seem like the perfect way to get her foot in the door, Alice soon gets swept up in the fast-paced magazine industry of glamor, five-star dinners, and handsome men all while trying not to lose sight of her ambitions of becoming a photographer.
Why I Love It: I adore Rosen’s ability to write strong-minded and passionate female heroines and this book of hers is no exception. It’s so easy to become enthralled in what this book has to offer. With a celebration of female friendship and aspiration, the author creates a heartfelt window into the bygone era. Rosen’s faithful depiction of Helen Gurly Brown is incredible and made me appreciate so much of what she did to shape Cosmopolitan into what it is today while giving me insight into the mechanics of publication. If the world of fashion and 1960s New York are of interest to you — this is the perfect book to breeze through for a delightful summer read.
The Girls by Emma Cline
“It was the end of the sixties, or the summer before the end, and that’s what it seemed like, an endless, formless summer. The Haight populated with white-garbed Process members handing out their oat-colored pamphlets, the jasmine along the roads that year blooming particularly heady and full.”
Summary: Evie Boyd is 14 years old at the start of the summer when she sees a group of free-spirited girls in the park. Instantly intrigued, she admires their carelessness and reckless aura, soon finding herself drawn to Suzanne — the older girl of the inner circle. Abandoning her mundane life at home, Evie flocks to the place where she feels the most accepted and loved: in the arms of the girls and a run-down ranch with a dangerous yet charismatic leader.
Why I Love It: Cline’s writing is simply art. She writes this story in sentences that are long and eloquently descriptive, delving deep into unrestrained imagery. As a result, main character Evie’s view of the world is poetically angsty in a way that perfectly captures a familiar coming-of-age mindset. A few parts, in particular, even reminded me heavily of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood as Cline writes her story loosely based around the Manson Family. While Cline’s writing isn’t purple, it straddles the fine line of being overly flowery and just the right amount. The story flips back and forth from Evie’s life in the present day, forever altered by the girls, and her life in 1969. As a whole, the book is completely effective in its efforts to bring to life the character’s gradual descent into the underbelly of late 1960s California and the strives taken to rise from the grimy series of events.
My Beautiful Hippie by Janet Nichols Lynch
“It was the summer of 1967 and I was 15 years old. The Haight District, the San Francisco neighborhood I had grown up in, was crowded with hippies, freaks, heads, beautiful people, flower children…”
Summary: Main character Joanne Donnelly is smack in the middle of the Summer of Love. Literally. Having grown up in the Haight-Ashbury district, she is witness to the evolving times and thriving hippie movement practically taking place on her doorstep. Joanne bumps into her beautiful hippie on the sidewalk, who takes her on a trip of self-discovery over the course of the next year. Dealing with her parents’ traditional family values and the free-roaming lifestyle of her beautiful hippie, Joanne eventually has to choose between two starkly different paths stretched out in front of her.
Why I Love It: From the opening, you get the sense that the electrifying times of the summer of ‘67 will fade away, just as fast as they began. Though the ending is bittersweet, I don’t think it could have concluded any better. Lynch vividly describes the San Francisco scene of the late sixties into the early seventies, transporting you directly to that time with powerful imagery. There are also so many references peppered throughout the story of popular music from that time. I particularly loved the family dynamic that the Donnelly’s had, and Joanne’s relationship with her beautiful hippie left me an emotional wreck. I highly, highly recommend this book for all of the sunshine that it evokes as well as its more tender, sentimental moments. Needless to say, I will be thinking about this book for the rest of my summer. (p.s. check out my playlist for all of the songs mentioned throughout the book here.)