Counterculture Reading List

Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of 1968, the Library is hosting an exploration of the many cultural changes that emerged from 1960–74 and how they carry forward into today’s environment of activism and political engagement. There are many opportunites to attend events at the Library.  You can also travel back to the sixties in the magic time machine that is literature. Here are a few titles to consider. 

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe

On the Roadby Jack Kerouac

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion

Trout Fishing in America by Richard Brautigan

The Fire Next Timeby James Baldwin

 The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley and Malcolm X 

Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man by Marshall McLuhan

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou 

The Female Eunuch by Germaine Greer 

If I Die In a Combat Zone: Box Me Up and Ship Me Home by Tim O’Brien

Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!