What a Wonderful World This Could Be is a fascinating character study of a woman coming of age in the early sixties. Alex was a loser in the lottery that determines our parents. She was the illegitimate daughter of a father who committed suicide and a mother who seemed to believe parents owe their children food, clothing, shelter, and little else.
Alex becomes a young woman searching for guidance in a world where she'd always been alone. Instead of making her own choices, she follows whatever paths her life throws her way. She becomes a photographer because the first man in her life was a photographer. The second love of her life is a leader in the political counterculture, supporting civil rights and opposing the Vietnam War. She follows him into a collective where she lives with members of the Weathermen branch of SDS (Students for a Democratic Society). The Weathermen (named after a line in a Bob Dylan song: “You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows,”) was a branch of SDS who believed in using violence to achieve their goals.
Alex is a brilliant choice for the main character. She is the perfect foil for a study of the people drawn to The Weathermen. She is also concerned about traditional values such as love, family, and kids at a time when society is moving on from the repressive fifties. This novel is not just an exploration of the politics of the time. It touches on multiple aspects of that time.
Thank you, Steve.
ReplyDelete