Lucy in the Sky

A bold exploration into "hippie lit," Lucy in the Sky tells the story of Gene Steen, an earnest, intelligent, truth-seeking teen stuck in the cultural wasteland of his suburban home. He wants to be a hippie in the worst way. He doesn't know what that means, really, just knows that hippies are scarce on the ground in the forlorn Midwest of Gene's 15th year. Then, propitiously on the Summer Solstice, his life is turned upside down by the arrival of his lively, lovely, long-lost cousin Lucy. She's hip beyond Gene's wildest dreams and immediately takes him under her wing. Lucy teaches Gene that being a hippie isn't about love beads and peace signs, but about the choices you make and the stands you take. Yet for all her airy insights into religion, philosophy and "the isness of it all," Lucy harbors dark secrets – secrets that will soon put her on the run, with Gene by her side. Lucy in the Sky resonates of such classics as Summer of '42 and Zen in the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and invites the reader into a richly detailed vision of the '60s, as realized by Vorhaus's sure-handed prose and authentic sense of place and time. With frank talk about sex and drugs, Vorhaus pulls no punches about the realities of the era, yet delivers an uplifting message about personal power and the path to enlightenment. A rewarding read for young seekers and old geezers alike.