Ringolevio

Emmett Grogan's memoir traces a life that he largely built for himself, beginning in the rough neighborhoods of New York City. He eventually made his way west to San Francisco during the 1960s, where he became one of the leading figures in the Diggers, an anarchist collective. The group staged street theater, took direct action, and handed out free food, placing it at the center of the Summer of Love.

As the scene grew, Grogan found himself at odds with much of what surrounded him: hippies caught up in their own self-regard, a revolutionary spirit repackaged and sold, rigid radical factions, and self-proclaimed guides such as Timothy Leary. The book offers a guarded, elusive account of one man and the era that shaped him. Readers who enjoy Hunter S. Thompson's gonzo writing or Norman Mailer's The Armies of the Night will find it a close companion, and Bob Dylan's 1978 album Street Legal is dedicated to Grogan's memory.