Welcome To Our Website
Dive deep into the depths of mystery.
Are you ready to discover the after-effects of counterculture anarchists’ great general strike in Philadelphia?
About the Author
Author Bio
Stuart Barenbaum was born on April 28th, 1954, in Philadelphia, the Cradle of Liberty, where txxxConstitution and Declaration of Independence were penned. His ancestors hail from Kyiv, and thus, he has an ancestral link to social justice insofar as the Ukraine fought both the Tzar and the Soviet Union. He was involved in social movements of the 1960s, protesting the Vietnam War, racism, and injustice. He supported movements like the Black Panthers and was an enthusiastic member of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). He was also part of the youth counterculture and hitched rides to rock festivals ‘jumping’ from one car to another searching for community and truth.
As a writer, Stuart released The Dragon of Beijing in 1989, a poetry pamphlet about Chinese student agitation, and The Rite of Liberte in 1992, a dramatic work about the revolution in France. After finishing school, Stuart did social work assisting homeless youth in Covenant House, and ended his working years helping elderly people in low-income residences. His life and work are all about justice, community, and hum ssfe
About the book
Mystery Commune
Teenage fans of Counter-Culture Anarchists are enthralled with this urban novel which is set in 1970s Philadelphia and portrays a commune whose mission is to incite a socio-political revolution. The guys and girls work under the cover of grocery store owners while involved in bombings and feeding the poor. Eventually, they participate in and guide the fictional Great General Strike of 1970 in Philadelphia. In the course of their journey, they meet ghosts because the oldest member is a vaudeville magician able to send people to other dimensions. Native American Demi-gods also have a big part in the group’s affairs; they visit and influence, particularly the Rabbit Spirit. In addition, they are evangelized by a ‘Fool for Christ’, who contests their supposed vantage point.
The novel explores two central themes: the ideologies of the Beats and Hippies, and the nature of metaphysical reality. The characters advance to leadership in the Strike and confront such powerful enemies as Philly police chief Frank Rizzo and President Richard Nixon. It always has some subtext or narrative voice revealing that it is written under the powerful influence of the Counter-Culture epoch; however, the book is a real masterpiece based on farce mixed with poetry and dramatic dialogue, and having a deep ethical tinge.
what our client says about us
Mystery Commune is a fantastic blend of historical novels and the magical realm, and none more than The Leviathan’s Tales, the way it portrays the excesses of the 1970s counterculture while persistently folding in fantastic occurrences that drive the narrative to even stranger, crazy stratospheres.
This book is a wild ride. The characters in the series of Mystery Commune stories are as layered and multifaceted as the political system the show’s proponents are so determined to transform. I also believe that techniques like magic realism that is portrayed in a vaudeville illusionist and Rabbit Spirit brings a twist to the story. In an interview with Mary Gordon, the latter described the novel as a historical one that is amusing, ironic, and full of ethical questions and reactions for the reader.
Mystery Commune takes a unique look at the hopes and losses of the Counter-Culture movement. Obviously, combining political themes with magic and farce, this book offers the audience both comedy and food for thought.
This book entails indulging in basic absurdity coated up with rich and strong, cultural and political statements. The novel does a tremendous job of capturing the true spirit of the 60s counterculture movement and putting that into a fantastical yet highly grounded package.
If you want to read a book that meets your expectations then Mystery Commune is ideal for you. The novel successfully combines historical type events with elements of magical realism, making the plot mostly absurd, yet meaningful.
As for me, I liked Mystery Commune because it is an amazing study of 1970s commune culture. Cynical and satirical, P.T. meets mystical and Barenbaum faithfully portrays the optimistic ’70s and ’80s while mixing it up with an old Vaudeville protagonist who occasionally cannot decide between eating a sandwich or doing the bidding of Lenny Bruce. Reflecting on real historical movements, the characters are put in a sort of surreal fight that rhymes with freedom and consciousness evolution movements.
Blogs
Our Latest Blogs posts
The Soul of a Revolution: Interrogating Byung-Chul Han and the Digital Capitalism Crisis.
The main concept of the Mystery Commune is not only a political revolution in the communicative world, but it also resonates with the spiritual idea of a revolution.
The Diggers, the Merry Pranksters and the Search for a New Society.
During the seventies in Philadelphia which hosts a very volatile political system, MFN paints a picture of a bunch of anarchists who want to create new societies, a commune of sorts.
The Psychedelic Soul of Mystery Commune: Music, Art, and the Revolution.
When we think of the 1960s and 1970s counterculture, certain images immediately come to mind: the free-love ethos, the protests against the Vietnam War…