Revenge of the "Illegal Alien", by Cesar A. Preciado-Cruz

Preciado-Cruz, Cesar A. (2008). Revenge of the “illegal alien: A Mexican takes on the Empire. Oakland: Making Changes Press.

ISBN 9780615152998

Summary:  Human rights activist Cesar Preciado-Cruz (teolol) releases revolutionary rage in his Revenge of the “illegal alien: A Mexican takes on the Empire, a collection of poems and short stories that condemn the United States for the repression of people of color, for the wealthy corporate elite, for the political lies about Iraq, for the general contempt of undocumented workers by Americans who benefit from their services, and for historical atrocities. Cruz’s radical poems in English and Spanish lend themselves to spoken word to fully realize the emotional intensity of his writing. 

Additional Comments: Some readers will undoubtedly squirm with discomfort from his calls for insurgency in poems like “license this” and “the terrorist” and from his vilification of the American government in poems like “on the 4th u lie (4th of july)” and “things taken”. However, his voice represents the vital perspective of the underrepresented and marginalized.

Hair (Soundtrack)

MacDermot, Galt (1979). Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical (Cast recording).  United States: RCA Victor Broadway. 

Summary:  After Claude receives his draft card, he arrives in New York City to report for military service but ends up meeting a tribe of long-haired hippies living in Central Park and gets swept away by their pacifist, bohemian, counter-culture lifestyle of LSD, marijuana, and free love. Hair was originally an off-Broadway rock musical in 1967 before being adapted into a movie in 1979 with such stars as Beverly D'Angelo and Treat Williams.

Additional Comments:  Hair addresses all the controversial issues that were dividing society at the time and remain relevant to the present:  anti-war, skepticism of the government and "Big Brother", racism, sexual liberation, experimentation with psychedelic drugs, a budding sense of spirituality and incorporation of eastern philosophies, and non-conformity with societal expectations. Many songs have become anthems for the peace movement and the era, including "The Age of Aquarius", "Good Morning Starshine", and "Let the Sunshine In".  Other simply paint a picture of values and lifestyles of the counter-culture, like the pride of long hair as described in "Hair":  "Gimme a head with hair, long beautiful hair / Shining, gleaming, steaming, flaxen, waxen. . .I want it long, straight, curly, fuzzy / Snaggy, shaggy, ratty, matty /Oily, greasy, fleecy, shining / Gleaming, steaming, flaxen, waxen /Knotted, polka-dotted / Twisted, beaded, braided /Powdered, flowered, and confettied /Bangled, tangled, spangled and spaghettied!"  Hair's rebelliousness and anti-establishment attitude is bound to touch today's teens as much as it did over thirty years ago.

Into the Wild (Soundtrack)

Vedder, Eddie (2007).  Music for the motion picture "Into the wild" (Audio recording).  J-Records.

Summary:  Into the Wild was originally published by Jon Krakauer in 1996 and told the true story of Christopher McCandless, a young man whose desire to separate himself from the constraints of society and whose post-graduation adventures across America land him in the solitude of the Alaskan wilderness.  A diary he kept revealed that his attempt to live off the land while living alone in an old van led to food poisoning that eventually killed him. Eddie Vedder, the lead singer of Pearl Jam, went solo to create the acoustic soundtrack for Sean Penn's 2007 Oscar-nominated film. 

Additional Comments:  Eddie Vedder's melancholic guitar-strumming and thoughtful lyrics echo Chris' reflective musings and sense of detachment from others.  Eddie Vedder's raw, emotional vocals in songs like "Hard Sun" and "Society" set a mournful tone that echo Chris' departures from friends and family that care for him.  Lyrics, such as  "Society, crazy indeed / I hope you're not lonely without me" also further echo the story's tragic theme of a young man whose head-strong determination to make it on his own lead to an untimely death.  

On the Road, by Jack Kerouac

Kerouac, Jack (1955, 1957).  On the road.  New York: Signet.  

Summary: The adventures of Sal Paradise as he travels across the country four times catching up with friends in various cities and always meeting interesting characters along the way.  

Additional comments:  Considered to be slightly autobiographical, On the Road-- a seminal novel for the Beat Generation--is a mix of philosophy, bohemianism, dionysian partying, and counter-culture separation from societal norms and expectations.  Set in the 1950's, On the Road provides a glimpse into a pivotal period of American history, a time of revolutions that will change American values and lifestyles, including the Civil Rights movement, the peace movement, the sexual revolution, and sexual liberation. Sal's experiences put the reader in touch with alternative lifestyles that rejected mainstream norms. The carefree spontaneity exhibited by Sal is sure to touch 21st-century rebellious teens as it has since its publication in 1955.