PREORDER: Lost and Found in the 60s by Paul Justison
Holden Caulfield from Catcher in the Rye returns as Mark Stenrud to bring the psychedelic era vividly life in Lost and Found in the 60s. Alienated from a toxic mother, and in constant conflict at his conservative high school because of his radical politics, Mark Stenrud escapes for Haight-Ashbury, where he takes a job in the post office and settles into a carefree existence in the psychedelic center of the universe. LSD chemists notice his organizational skills and calmness in the face of danger and recruit him to join their enterprise. He accepts and has free time for romance, adventures, and street justice. After months of success, he loses his touch, leading to narrow escapes, bad decisions, and his own downfall. Along the way, he learns about loss, forgiveness, and the meaning of self-respect.
BOOK DETAILS
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:978-1-956692-39-6
Publication Date: Nov. 8, 2022
Praise for Paul Justison
This novel is excruciatingly accurate and totally outrageous. Justison has captured the extravagance of the time: the interplay of sexual liberation, psychedelic experiences and coming of age that made the community so intense and inviting. Was drug use so extensive and casual? You bet. Was casual sexual connecting so extensive and easy? Oh my, yes. The 60s, including its dark, scary, lonely, confused reality is all here, as well as the ecstasy, the kindness, and the sharing. If you weren't there, this is as close as you're going to get to knowing what you missed. The stories, the people, the vision- enjoy the trip.
James Fadiman, microdose researcher and Author, The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide: Safe, Therapeutic and Sacred Journeys
This lively and engaging novel chronicles the adventures of a high school drop-out who leaves Arizona for the Haight Ashbury in the 1960’s where the credo was "Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out.” The narrator, a bright, observant young man, quickly becomes part of Hippie culture of free love, tripping on marijuana and LSD, Be-Ins, Viet Nam War protests, and anti-draft demonstrations, which is captured in nuanced and textured detail.
Central to this novel is the protagonist’s deep respect for women as friends and lovers who are his equals in their shared explorations as well as existential lessons learned.
For those who were there, this novel will bring it all back, for those who weren’t, this novel is a vivid portrait of of the 60’s.
Wendy Martin
Professor of American Literature and American Studies
Founder and Editor, Women's Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal