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mgouker's review against another edition
5.0
An anthology of poetry and excerpts from novels. Charters also adds glue to the pieces to build a tapestry of the times. The overall result is amazing. This is as good as The Portable Beat Reader, so if you like that one, you should read this one too.
zoes_human's review
challenging
informative
slow-paced
3.25
While this omnibus is diverse in terms of gender, race, sexuality, and ethnicity, it lacks one critical voice that would help contextualize all the other voices—the conservative one. It is a failing of most collections that seek to encapsulate this decade. These folks were pushing back against someone, and it would be valuable to hear the opposition.
talypollywaly's review
informative
medium-paced
3.0
Solid read for anyone interested in the literature and culture of the decade. Found a handful of gems in there, but skimmed through other parts
gemmak's review
5.0
I feel like this book just started off as a casual joke, and blossomed into this bizarre and hilarious mockery of Arthurian legend. What if, Barthelme proposes, King Arthur and all of his knights were still around during World War II? Chivalric language buts up against blunt vernacular, and it's always funny. I love Barthelme's long dialogue only passages, where peasants watch Mordred do a weird dance, or Lancelot angrily bludgeon things. But since it's Barthelme something dark and profound sneaks its way in, like Arthur desperate to embrace his long awaited death. This book also takes about 45 minutes to read, so there's really no reason not to.
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