Official Review: Hippie Chick by Ilene English

Stephanie Elizabeth · Post by **Stephanie Elizabeth** » 16 Jul 2020, 07:19

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Hippie Chick" by Ilene English.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Hippie Chick is a captivating memoir written by Ilene English, who candidly shares her experience of growing up in the 60s. As the youngest of six children, she struggled with trying to find her voice in the family. After her mother's untimely death, her grown-up siblings seemed to scatter, leaving her to finish high school, alone, with her grieving father.

Despite her straight-laced upbringing, Ilene was a flower child at heart, who longed to let her spirit roam free and immerse herself in the hippie lifestyle. A phone call from her sister Carole and a plane ticket to San Fransico changed everything for Ilene. Her sudden freedom acted as a catalyst, propelling her into a world of sexual adventures, psychedelic drugs, and the desire to find her soulmate.

From the very first page, I was fully immersed in Ilene's writing and quickly devoured the book. The memoir was comprised of twenty-nine chapters, each highlighting a part of her life that was essential to the puzzle. The events were relayed chronologically, which made the book easy to follow.

The author did a fantastic job of conveying Ilene's strong urge to feel loved and validated. She remembers feeling unworthy of love as a child, and perhaps that feeling followed her well into adulthood. Love was a constant theme—the search for unconditional love is what propelled her through most of the book. Often to be with a lover, she frequently moved, which added to her feelings of loneliness, as she was never in one place long enough to set down any roots. Her ever-changing address flip-flopped between New Jersey, California, Hawaii, and Oregon.

Hippie Chick boasted a host of memorable characters, and they all seemed to have something to impart on Ilene. Some of the colorful characters included her first love, Earl, who she recounts as being the most "adoring" of all the men she'd ever been with. While their love was passionate, his love for playing music and drugs would always come before her. Carole, her oldest sister, was her savior from her somber life back in New Jersey and provided the maternal touch that Ilene was missing. By taking her under her wing, and providing Ilene with a place to stay, she truly was a gem. Despite being hopelessly in love with Larry, he and Ilene could not be any more different. Their tumultuous relationship forced Ilene out of her comfort zone when she needed to make some tough choices. These were only a few of the individuals that were essential to Ilene's evolvement as a person.

Although imperative to Ilene's story, my least favorite part was the ubiquitous nature of drugs. It seemed like as soon as she made a new friend or lover, they'd ask, "Do you want to get high?" The narcotics varied in severity, but nothing was off the table, including, marijuana, acid, peyote, and heroine. Drugs were readily available to use at their disposal.

I am happily giving the book a rating of four out of four stars. I was thoroughly impressed by the lack of spelling and grammatical errors, and I can, with full confidence, say that the book was professionally edited.

Although both men and women could read the book, female readers may relate most to Ilene's story. I would recommend the book to readers who enjoy historical memoirs and are especially interested in the free love movement and the sexual revolution of the 1960s. I would dissuade younger audiences from reading as there are explicit sexual scenes, constant use of drugs, and profanity.

******
Hippie Chick
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Gabrielle Sigaki · Post by **Gabrielle Sigaki** » 17 Jul 2020, 05:09

I'm really into memoirs and biographies. This one seems fascinating, it's always a pleasure to read a book without so well-written and professionally edited. Thanks for the insightful review!

Elvis Best · Post by **Elvis Best** » 17 Jul 2020, 06:13

Such a candid and powerful memoir. The author seems to have gone through a lot. Thanks for this insightful review. Good job!

Harty Muli · Post by **Harty Muli** » 17 Jul 2020, 09:44

From your review, I find myself liking the book. I winder how Ilene overcame the drug addiction. Nice review.

Chinelookeke · Post by **Chinelookeke** » 17 Jul 2020, 11:10

I'm wondering how she managed to see herself through school. I believe young adults would learn from her story and make the right decisions in life.

MrsCatInTheHat · Post by **MrsCatInTheHat** » 17 Jul 2020, 12:09

I'm thinking that my mother wouldn't consider this "historical" as it's from her coming of age era.

Dominik_G · Post by **Dominik_G** » 17 Jul 2020, 14:26

Ever since seeing Hair as a kid, I've been drawn to hippie stories, especially true ones. Hippie Chick sounds like something I'd enjoy. Thank you for your review!!

AnnOgochukwu · Post by **AnnOgochukwu** » 17 Jul 2020, 14:39

I love the character of the author cum main character of this book. How she falls in and out of love is fascinating to me though.
And, I enjoyed this review.

Kimberly 19 · Post by **Kimberly 19** » 17 Jul 2020, 16:24

I like the book
Sometimes what we expect is not what we get and you can say that we do not know what the future has for us.

Vic Chimezie · Post by **Vic Chimezie** » 17 Jul 2020, 18:36

Who wouldn't want to know how life was lived back then? Thanks for your recommendation. I enjoyed reading your review.

Dayodiola · Post by **Dayodiola** » 17 Jul 2020, 18:59

A glimpse at the past is an experience for otherwise in the future and present. This is a mist from young adults. Delicate review

jenny delacruz · Post by **jenny delacruz** » 18 Jul 2020, 02:20

There's always wisdom to gain from people of the older generation. I admire the author for writing her story. Thank you so much for such a profound review!

Ms_Rita30 · Post by **Ms_Rita30** » 18 Jul 2020, 02:30

Finding your voice in a large family is something I can relate with. Ilene had to go through different phases to discover her true self, as do most people. I enjoyed reading your review, well done.

Kanda_theGreat · Post by **Kanda_theGreat** » 18 Jul 2020, 22:44

I'm currently reading a memoir and this just appears to be my next read.
Thank you for your well-written review.

LinaMueller · Post by **LinaMueller** » 19 Jul 2020, 04:25

Stephanie Elizabeth wrote: ↑16 Jul 2020, 07:19 [Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Hippie Chick" by Ilene English.]

4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review

Hippie Chick is a captivating memoir written by Ilene English, who candidly shares her experience of growing up in the 60s. As the youngest of six children, she struggled with trying to find her voice in the family. After her mother's untimely death, her grown-up siblings seemed to scatter, leaving her to finish high school, alone, with her grieving father.

Despite her straight-laced upbringing, Ilene was a flower child at heart, who longed to let her spirit roam free and immerse herself in the hippie lifestyle. A phone call from her sister Carole and a plane ticket to San Fransico changed everything for Ilene. Her sudden freedom acted as a catalyst, propelling her into a world of sexual adventures, psychedelic drugs, and the desire to find her soulmate.

From the very first page, I was fully immersed in Ilene's writing and quickly devoured the book. The memoir was comprised of twenty-nine chapters, each highlighting a part of her life that was essential to the puzzle. The events were relayed chronologically, which made the book easy to follow.

The author did a fantastic job of conveying Ilene's strong urge to feel loved and validated. She remembers feeling unworthy of love as a child, and perhaps that feeling followed her well into adulthood. Love was a constant theme—the search for unconditional love is what propelled her through most of the book. Often to be with a lover, she frequently moved, which added to her feelings of loneliness, as she was never in one place long enough to set down any roots. Her ever-changing address flip-flopped between New Jersey, California, Hawaii, and Oregon.

Hippie Chick boasted a host of memorable characters, and they all seemed to have something to impart on Ilene. Some of the colorful characters included her first love, Earl, who she recounts as being the most "adoring" of all the men she'd ever been with. While their love was passionate, his love for playing music and drugs would always come before her. Carole, her oldest sister, was her savior from her somber life back in New Jersey and provided the maternal touch that Ilene was missing. By taking her under her wing, and providing Ilene with a place to stay, she truly was a gem. Despite being hopelessly in love with Larry, he and Ilene could not be any more different. Their tumultuous relationship forced Ilene out of her comfort zone when she needed to make some tough choices. These were only a few of the individuals that were essential to Ilene's evolvement as a person.

Although imperative to Ilene's story, my least favorite part was the ubiquitous nature of drugs. It seemed like as soon as she made a new friend or lover, they'd ask, "Do you want to get high?" The narcotics varied in severity, but nothing was off the table, including, marijuana, acid, peyote, and heroine. Drugs were readily available to use at their disposal.

I am happily giving the book a rating of four out of four stars. I was thoroughly impressed by the lack of spelling and grammatical errors, and I can, with full confidence, say that the book was professionally edited.

Although both men and women could read the book, female readers may relate most to Ilene's story. I would recommend the book to readers who enjoy historical memoirs and are especially interested in the free love movement and the sexual revolution of the 1960s. I would dissuade younger audiences from reading as there are explicit sexual scenes, constant use of drugs, and profanity.

******
Hippie Chick
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon