Don't Follow Me, I'm Lost A Memoir of Hampshire College in the Twilight of the '80s

by Rushfield, Richard

• ISBN13: 9781592404537
• ISBN10: 1592404537
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-10-29
• Publisher: Gotham

Summary

A strange and salacious memoir of life at the ultimate hippie college during the height of Reaganomics Opening its doors in 1970, Hampshire College was once known as a land of eternal partying, where countercultures thrived and jocks were nowhere to be found. Self- proclaimed nerd Richard Rushfield knew this progressive Massachusetts campus was the place for him, offering a chance to shed his squeaky-clean California upbringing. He was part of the freshman class of 1986, hiding out from Reagan-era excess in a liberal haven where overachievement and preppy clothes were banned. By turns hilarious, ironic, and steeped in history, Don’t Follow Me, I’m Losttakes readers to a campus populated by Deadheads, club kids, poets, and insomniac filmmakers, at a time when America saw the rise of punk and grunge alongside neo-conservatism, earnest calls for political correctness, and Take Back the Night vigils. Shunned by all of the school’s reigning subcultures, Rushfield joins the most hated clique on campus, the Supreme Dicks, navigates a dating scene where to express interest in anything is social suicide, and mostly avoids class where hippie professors blather on about post-structuralism. Culminating in a mad clash of slackers and yuppies, Don’t Follow Me, I’m Lostcaptures a watershed moment for American youth in one hilarious and unforgettable trip.

Author Biography

Journalist Richard Rushfield is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and the author of On Spec: A Novel of Young Hollywood. His writing has also appeared in many other publications, including The New York Times, Variety, and LA Weekly.

Table of Contents

Orientation, September' 86	p. 1
The Slaves of Dakin House	p. 17
What Friends Are For	p. 29
The Interview	p. 47
Cold Turkey	p. 69
Mohair Days, Lithium Nights	p. 31
The Legend	p. 103
Jan Term	p. 115
Rites of Spring '87	p. 141
The End of ihe End	p. 165
What's Left Behind	p. 193
Wet T-Shirt Night	p. 213
The Writing on the Wall	p. 225
The Last Spring Break	p. 243
Twilight of the Gods	p. 273
Epilogue May 1991	p. 285
Explanations and Acknowledgments	p. 289
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