The Greening of America

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The Greening of America was a book published in 1970 by Charles A. Reich. It was in essence a paean of praise to the counterculture of the 1960s and its values. Parts of the book originally appeared as an essay in The New Yorker magazine's September 26, 1970 issue. It was originally published by Random House.

The book's argument hinged on three separate types of "consciousness". It gave the name "Consciousness I" to the world-view of rural farmers and small businesspeople, and alleged that Consciousness I arose and was dominant in the nineteenth century in the United States of America. "Consciousness II" represented a viewpoint of "an organizational society," featuring meritocracy and improvement through various large institutions; it dominated the New Deal, World War II and 1950s generations. Finally, "Consciousness III" represented the worldview of the 1960s counterculture, which was focused on personal freedom, egalitarianism, and recreational drugs.^[1] In this vein, the book mixed sociological analysis with panegyrics to rock music, marijuana, and blue jeans, arguing that these fashions embodied a fundamental shift in world view.

The book was a best-seller in 1970 and 1971, and reached Number 1 status on the New York Times Best Seller list on December 27, 1970^[2].

[edit] References

1. ^ Charles A. Reich, The Greening of America (25th anniversary edition, Three Rivers Press, 1995) ISBN 0-517-88636-7
2. ^ New York Times Best Seller Number Ones Listing