Following Energy

<p><strong>When is the Price of Belonging Too High?</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>Following Energy</strong> is a beautifully written emotionally wrenching memoir set in one of the best known of the large 1960s countercultural communes. In its pages written with the vibrant immediacy of a novel you will experience the journey of twenty-one-year old Jenny Brown as she throws herself into a series of physical and emotional challenges that transform her from a skeptical lonely outsider to a revered member of the commune's inner circle and close associate of its young brilliant charismatic leader Michael Metelica.</p><p> </p><p>Throughout her years in the commune Jenny's craving for love and admiration leads her into a series of intense though fraught emotional relationships with men. At the same time urged on by Metelica Jenny begins to exercise her talents and take on a leadership role of a kind that as a girl growing up in the late 1950s she had been conditioned to believe was only open to men. But her growing need for a deep personal connection with the man she loves conflicts with the highly visible role Michael has pushed her to take on until inevitably she must make a devastating life-changing choice.</p><p> </p><p>Jenny's story captures the essence of a generation in search of meaning. The writing is introspective and raw reflecting Jenny's internal struggles and the broader themes of idealism disillusionment the need to belong and the enduring quest for truth. Readers will learn in a visceral way the challenges of living communally and the dangers posed by the temptation of power and fame that awaits even the most idealistic young people.</p><p></p><p>A very absorbing story with a really blazing honesty about it that made it riveting. -Diana Gabaldon 1991 email referring to an early draft.</p>