Michael Murphy’s book Goodbye Emily made me think back to my high school days. I remember Friday nights cheering for our terrible football team, Saturday nights catching a local concert and trying not to get caught skipping school or missing work. Back then I took a lot of risks, because I didn’t have much experience and so the risk wasn’t as scary to me as it may be today in my 30’s.
Sparky Ellington is an aging hippie. A retired professor, he’s facing a new milestone in his life. His wife has died, his daughter may move away for her job and his friends won’t be around for much longer. The stress that comes from facing these problems head-on each day and keeping his emotions bottled up inside has turned Sparky into a recluse with heart problems.
His doctor’s advice? Sparky must face his problems and learn to deal with them or fall victim to heart failure. Easy for him to say. He didn’t just lose the love of his life to cancer. His friend isn’t locked in a home because of Alzheimer’s. His best friend didn’t miss his wife’s funeral. His daughter isn’t planning to move away and bury herself in her work. He didn’t get sacked by the job he had for over 20 years by an arrogant ass half his age.
When Sparky decides to face these issues head on, what ensues is one of the best hippie stories I’ve read thus far. Not only do we get to learn how Sparky met his wife, Emily, at Woodstock in 1969, we get to witness his personal pilgrimage back to Yasgur’s Farm to spread Emily’s ashes in the place that not only brought them together, but helped define the people that they would become.
This is a great story for those who are a fan of Woodstock and the music. In fact, these people will appreciate the story most. But it can also be enjoyed by those who like to remember the good times and never want to lose nostalgia. 4-stars for Goodbye Emily and may I say that I thoroughly enjoyed discovering this author, Michael Murphy.
What music were you into when you were a teenager?