I was incredibly fortunate to receive this book through the Goodreads First-Reads program. First, I wish to say that the first-reads program is a truly amazing thing. [b:Altamont Augie|10537287|Altamont Augie|Richard Barager|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1299287220s/10537287.jpg|15443644] is not something that I would have sought out, nor is a book that I feel I would have ever happened to hear about were it not for first-reads. Another reviewer has said that it is rare to give five stars to a first time author... I was surprised to see so many good reviews.

Well, I shall be joining the chorus of wonderful reviews.

[b:Altamont Augie|10537287|Altamont Augie|Richard Barager|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1299287220s/10537287.jpg|15443644] is a masterpiece. I do not tend to read historical fiction, nor do I tend to read about any wars, let alone Vietnam. I don't tend towards political thrillers either. [b:Altamont Augie|10537287|Altamont Augie|Richard Barager|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1299287220s/10537287.jpg|15443644] is historical fiction, deeply steeped within the conflicting politics of liberalism and conservatism that fades into a more libertarian stance. The tension in the book is the horrors of war, mixed with the domestic terrorism that came to characterize the sixties. I couldn't put the book down, and by the time I got to the ending, I was crying.

To say the book is well written is an understatement. I wanted to write the review criticizing the framing story initially, but by the end any criticisms I had had melted away. I wanted to state that I disagreed with [a:Richard Barager|4663097|Richard Barager|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1298315558p2/4663097.jpg]'s characterization of Jackie and feminism in general... and then had those criticisms torn away as I realized how vital and telling her attraction to David and what he did to her was. Whatever happened in the novel that drew my ire wound up having a point, and a strong one.

[b:Altamont Augie|10537287|Altamont Augie|Richard Barager|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1299287220s/10537287.jpg|15443644] presents a vision of the sixties that is rarely seen. The book showcases the folly of the idealism, while simultaneously wishing that there was more substance within it. The futility is highlighted, while the bitterness of cynicism is also present. [b:Altamont Augie|10537287|Altamont Augie|Richard Barager|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1299287220s/10537287.jpg|15443644] created a very fair assessment of what went on, all the while showcasing the best and the worse in human behavior. Best of all, the book praises what truly matters:

Honor, identity, and integrity at all costs. ( )

“What kind of man goes to one of the biggest rock concerts of the sixties, manages to drown in a nearby irrigation canal an hour into the show, and is never identified?”

With that opening sentence, Altamont Augie by Richard Barager grabbed my attention and riveted me for 300 pages.
The 1969 concert held at Altamont Raceway outside San Francisco was meant to be California’s version of Woodstock, but became an infamous debacle after concert security (manned by Hell’s Angels) stabbed a man to death. (This is not the fictional man who drowned in the canal.)

Richard Barager’s debut novel is set against the back drop of 1960s America, the Vietnam War, and the ever increasingly violent anti-war protests of the time. It is the story of David and Jackie, young people on opposite sides of those divisive issues, but who have a passion for each other that connects them through it all. David’s story unfolds in Vietnam, Jackie’s at the University of Minnesota and in California. After David’s tour of duty, he returns to the States and takes up his relationship with Jackie who is now involved with Kyle Levy, a militant anti-establishment activist.

The identity of the man in the canal is determined early on in the book but the answer to the question “What kind of man…?” remains, and is answered by the story that follows. The plot advances steadily and evenly over the five year period from 1964 to 1969, building to a climax at the Altamont concert.

I came of age in the late sixties and early seventies and although I was just a year or two too young for Woodstock, I embraced the ‘summer of love’ and peace movement ideology as most of my friends did. Being Canadians removed us from the immediate political arena around Vietnam, allowing us to see the issue from only one side. It was the era of not only “Mary Quant miniskirts, white go-go boots, flash cubes, color broadcasting on all three networks, and static-free radio”; to us the times were world-changing and thus clothed in importance and valour. So I was astounded to read the narrator’s opinion: “No matter how absurd the decade appeared in the century’s rear-view mirror, it had at least aspired to be relevant.” Absurd?! We were absurd? No way!

Barager’s writing style is slightly pretentious in his use of large words on nearly every page. Gems such as ‘senescence’, ‘leporine’, and ‘reliquary’ at first sent me running to my dictionary. But that was interrupting the story, so I marked them for further research and determined from the context meanings close enough to allow me to understand the story and move on.
But the overdone vocabulary is my only complaint about this book. Barager has crafted a keenly insightful look into the politics of the 1960s, presenting both sides, but with a protagonist who represents a view that was decidedly unpopular among youth of the day. How had it come to this, he wondered, needing to persuade an entire generation of Americans that it was better to win a war than to lose one? In some ways, this is a courageous book, as many still hold those views of their youth, and America and perhaps the world may still be as divided as ever on that issue.

But I would urge you to keep an open mind and read this book. I learned a lot about the decade that I’d not known – because I was young, because I’m Canadian, and because my friends accepted the issues superficially, as did many youth. Even if you were more involved in the politics of the era, you’ll be certain to learn aspects of the fight on both sides that will make you reflect. If you missed the sixties the first time around, I can’t think of a better introduction to the issues of the day than Altamont Augie .

When I first read Altamont Augie , I rated it 4.5 stars but over the last month and a half, it’s provided much fuel for discussion in our household and food for thought. It’s been a while since I’ve read such a thought-provoking book, one that stays with me as Augie has, so I’ve upped my rating to a full five stars, ( )

Altamont Augie is the story of unlikely lovers David Noble and Jackie Lindquist. David joins the Marines and stands by his decision to do so, while Jackie is completely against the war and takes every opportunity to vocalize her opinion.

I was immediately impressed with Richard Barager's style. His writing is very eloquent. I literally read the first page twice, because I thought it was so very well written. He has successfully written a novel that accurately depicts the war, conflict, and love of the 60's. Altamont Augie fully explores the differences of the war argument and the divide it created, while capturing the essence of young, passionate, love.

Richard Barager has proven that he has what it takes to be a writer - true talent.

http://www.thewritetomakealiving.com/2011/06/altamont-augie-by-richard-barager.h... ( )

I don’t expect to give first novels a five star rating, but I have to give it to this one. The author has brought the 1960s to life vividly, and has given us a main character that is complex enough to hold our attention even when we don’t agree with him.

I have to admit that when I entered to win this book, I missed that it was in large part about the Viet Nam war. When I received it and saw that was the case, I was dismayed as I don’t like war stories. I was figuring that since it was about the 1960s, it would be hippies and music and beads and incense. But I felt obliged to read it, so I plunged in. In the end, I’m glad I did miss that bit because I would have lost out on reading an intense, gripping novel that showed me parts of the 60s that I was not well acquainted with.

‘Altamont Augie’ is the name that Caleb Levy, (fictional film editor for a re-release of ‘Gimme Shelter’ -the very real movie about the Rolling Stones 1969 US tour, which culminated with the Altamont Speedway concert that went so horribly wrong), gives to the John Doe who drowned in an irrigation canal during the concert- a real person who has not been identified to this day. To Caleb, the 60s were an absurd, futile decade and Augie represents well to him- what kind of a loser goes to a rock concert and drowns? His view on that is shaken when, while editing the film, he finds a few frames that show Augie with Caleb’s mother, Jackie. He demands an explanation, but never expects the story that she tells, about ‘Augie’ (who now has a name: David Noble), his mother, and the times.

David grew up without roots, an orphan who was shuttled from one foster home to another, each more horrifying than the last. But he’s made a life for himself, working on a roofing crew and going to college. He’s a conservative who believes in America and that the Viet Nam war is a necessary one. Jackie, who grew up the spoiled child of the upper middle class, is a liberal who believes that America needs to change drastically. Kyle, Jackie’s other boyfriend, is a radical who believes there will have to be violent change- and he wants to be a major player in that as a leader in the SDS. David and Jackie disagree on politics so badly they can’t be together, yet they can’t stay apart. How they change each other through time is a large part of the story.

Barager writes rich, flowing prose. The characters are fully fleshed out. The author has obviously done his research well, because the era comes alive on the page. There is none of the thinness that so often marks first novels, none of the flat characters or poorly described scenes. Oh, and the war part, set in Viet Nam, that I thought I might skim through? I stayed up until 1 am reading that part because I couldn’t put it down. ( )

“Altamont Augie” a novel by Richard Barager

A lot of people will describe books as must-reads, or “5-Stars”, but honestly, this TRULY is. If you really want to revisit the 1960’s and read such vivid detail, and feel like you are such a part of this story, then this IS ‘the book’ to be on your ‘To Read’ list. I can really see this book being made into an award winning movie.
This author’s talent with writing is unbelievable! The author, Richard Barager hits on every detail of the 1960’s unrest unlike any other I have read. It is told in such detail that you are sucked right in to this story. This page turner makes you want to devour this book. It is full of a little of everything from the 60’s unrest. The story weaves you right into it, and you want to know where the next page will take you. Unfortunately, like all books, it ends. It is truly sad when it is over. You want to stay with these characters. It leaves you wanting more, and it is going to stay with you forever, and when you think back to the 1960’s, ‘this’ is the story that will come to mind first and foremost.
This fiction/just about non-fiction book hits the ‘high’ of the 1960’s unrest like no other; Vietnam, Rock Concerts, ‘The Age of Aquarius’, Women’s Liberation, marijuana/LSD/drugs, free love, War Protests, and more.
This book starts off with a young man, Caleb Levy, who travels to San Francisco seeking Altamont Augie’s past for the 13th Anniversary re-release of a movie called ‘Gimme Shelter’, a true-to-life ‘Rock Documentary’ that profiled the last 10 days of the Rolling Stones 1969 U.S. Tour, as commissioned by his employer. He was at the Altamont Speedway where this free concert took place. He got the ‘feel’ of where history took place and talked to quite a few people who experienced it first hand.
The book then goes into a story of two college lovers; characters Jackie Lundquist and David Noble. A very intricate love story intertwined with the war, protests, and more, getting in the way of these two. It follows the lives of these characters and more of what each of them stands for during these times. As the story goes on we get to know so much about the lives of these characters, the good and the bad. Sometimes we want to shout out to them and say what we think, as we are so wrapped up in this story. The story goes on. We experience all that they did and didn’t do, until the ultimate end of this story taking place at Altamont Augie.
We later learn more . . . this part you will have to read as I am not going to give spoilers. This book is to good to do that.
From the back of the book, Altamont Augie: “Khe Sanh and Altamont: red clay and yellow grass . . . the senseless slaughter of Vietnam and the folly of utopian fantasy . . . a battleground and a rock festival, repositories of my generation’s honor and shame . . . but which resides where?”
Please visit the author’s website: www.altamontaugies.com . There is an MP3 playlist of the songs in the order as they appear in the book. There is an EXCELLENT Book Trailer for this book which should not be missed.
About the author: This next paragraph is directly quoted from his website:
Richard Baragaer, M.D. is a Nephrologist in private practice in San Diego’s North County. Dr. Barager, who has twice received a San Diego County Medical Society “Top Doctor” award for distinguished care in his specialty, is a champion of the healing power of literature, and from time-to-time “prescribes” specific novels to receptive patients and families to help them cope with their burden of illness. Please visit the site for more.
In closing this review, I can only hope I have portrayed the quality and integrity of this book to you, the reader. Enjoy!
This book was provided to me for free in exchange for a review by Bostick Communications.
Laurie Carlson
www.lauriehere.blogspot.com ( )