So says Ann Powers of the young bohemian community of San Francisco that she lived in roughly a decade and a half ago. My Bohemian America , which defends the bohemian lifestyle in the contemporary United States. Powers acknowledges that there is no strict definition of bohemia. However, by default she describes bohemians as those who live by values not usually associated with the mainstream of society. Powers also stresses repeatedly that one of the book s central points is that even those who tend to formally scorn that which rests outside the mainstream are now a bit intrigued by what they see there.
Powers certainly makes it easy to see the attraction.
The chapter on San Francisco in the mid eighties tells of people who were trying to build a real family and a real community. Powers acknowledges that she and her adopted relatives made mistakes and that the project did not go on indefinitely, but it is also clear from this chapter that, if only for a brief period, they created a community so full of love that few who understand it can scorn it. And it should go without saying that while the sexual and drug undergrounds that she describes repulse some, the pure hedonism of these subcultures is attractive and enthralls at least an equal number of people. Powers is smart enough to not present bohemia without its complexities. One fascinating chapter in the book looks at Powers tenure as an employee at Planet Records in San Francisco.