In 1978; San Francisco; a city that has seen more than its share of trauma; plunged from a summer of political tension into an autumn cascade of malevolence that so eluded human comprehension it seemed almost demonic. The battles over property taxes and a ballot initiative calling for a ban on homosexuals teaching in public schools gave way to the madness of the Jonestown massacre and the murders of Mayor George Moscone and city supervisor Harvey Milk at the hands of their former colleague; Dan White.In the year that followed this season of insanity; it made sense that a band called Dead Kennedys played Mabuhay Gardens in North Beach; referring to Governor Jerry Brown as a "zen fascist;" calling for landlords to be lynched and yuppie gentrifiers to be sent to Cambodia to work for "a bowl of rice a day;" critiquing government welfare and defense policies; and; at a time when each week seemed to bring news of a new serial killer or child abduction; commenting on dead and dying children. But it made sense only (or primarily) to those who were there; to those who experienced the heyday of "the Mab."Most histories of the 1970s and 1980s ignore youth politics and subcultures. Drawing on Bay Area zines as well as new interviews with the band and many key figures from the early San Francisco punk scene; Michael Stewart Foley corrects that failing by treating Dead Kennedys first record; Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables; as a critical historical document; one that not only qualified as political expression but; whether experienced on vinyl or from the stage of "the Mab;" stimulated emotions and ideals that were; if you can believe it; utopian.
#754898 in eBooks 2009-09-28 2010-12-14File Name: B00VB465Z8
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. This book will surprise and inspire you.By Allison ZitoThis is a great book. It reads like a wonderful adventure story but it is factual. The story begins with the events that lead to the onset of the Renaissance; a time of great human triumph. It shows us the human side of Filippo Brunelleschi. Young; up and coming goldsmith; Brunelleschi loses the competition for the Doors of the Florentine Baptistery. Defeat does not stop him. He goes on to become a larger than life Renaissance Architect accomplishing feats unimaginable at the time.This book is very well written. You will be surprised and inspired. I have read the book several times. Yes; it is that good.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Renaissance Junkie Learns New ThingsBy Havana GirlI have been a Renaissance junkie and more particularly a Florence junkie since I lived there during graduate school; so I am sucker for anything about the Renaissance and Florence. I have read and studied about this era for years; taught it in my college classes in art history and humanities; and really picked up this book just to freshen up my knowledge for a guest lecture I was invited to give. It was compelling reading and I learned many new things; particularly about the lives of the two featured artists; Lorenzo Ghiberti (who knew this wasnt his real last name) and Filippo Brunelleschi (never realized he was stepping down a class to become an artist). The prose was lively and engaging; but grounded in good scholarship about the period. Before I read this book; Ross Kings Brunelleschis Dome was my favorite to recommend to my freshmen and sophomores. However; after reading this; it has shot to the top of my list for the wealth of historical detail it includes and for bringing this detail to life in recounting the feud that really did spark the Renaissance.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Satisfactory for the Renaissance ExpertsBy Mason OBrienThe Feud That Sparked the Renaissance is a book that is skillfully written and filled with specific information. That said I feel that the average person could purchase the book and feel that they could enter its world without a deep and preexisting knowledge of the renaissance.For the experts on the renaissance that feel as though they must soak up every available fact that pertains to it; this book is for you.For the rest of us that merely want an introduction to the subject; the search presses onward; this book is not for you. (unless you are particularly diligent).
