At the dawn of the 1970s, waves of hopeful idealists abandoned the
city and headed for the country, convinced that a better life awaited.
They were full of dreams, mostly lacking in practical skills, and soon
utterly out of money. But they knew paradise when they saw it.
When Loraine, Craig, Pancake, Hershe, and a dozen of their friends came
into possession of 116 acres in Vermont, they had big plans: to grow
their own food, build their own shelter, and create an enlightened
community. They had little idea that at the same moment, all over the
country, a million other young people were making the same move -- back
to the land.
We Are As Gods follows the Myrtle Hill commune as its members enjoy a
euphoric Free Love summer. Nearby, a fledgling organic farm sets to work
with horses, and a couple -- the author's parents -- attempts to build a
geodesic dome. Yet Myrtle Hill's summer ends in panic as they rush to
build shelter while they struggle to reconcile their ideals with the
somber realities of physical hardship and shifting priorities --
especially when one member goes dangerously rogue.
Kate Daloz has written a meticulously researched testament to the dreams
of a generation disillusioned by their parents' lifestyles, scarred by
the Vietnam War, and yearning for rural peace. Shaping everything from
our eating habits to the Internet, the 1970s Back-to-the-Land movement
is one of the most influential yet least understood periods in recent
history. We Are As Gods sheds light on one generation's determination
to change their own lives and, in the process, to change the world.
