Home : Book details : Book description

Description of  The Rebel Caf : Sex, Race, and Politics in Cold War America s Nightclub Underground

Subterranean nightspots in 1950s New York and San Francisco were social, cultural, and political hothouses for left-wing bohemians. The art and antics of rebellious figures in 1950s American nightlifefrom the Beat Generation to eccentric jazz musicians and comedianshave long fascinated fans and scholars alike. In The Rebel Caf, Stephen R. Duncan flips the frame, focusing on the New York and San Francisco bars, nightclubs, and coffeehouses from which these cultural icons emerged. Duncan shows that the sexy, smoky sites of bohemian Greenwich Village and North Beach offered not just entertainment but doorways to a new sociopolitical consciousness. Read more