The Grove of Hollow Trees

We who were children in the 1950s, adolescents in the 1960s, and young adults in the '70s-we are a thing. We practiced what to do in case of nuclear war. We watched American officials-southern sheriffs and governors-openly defend racism. We went through the Cuban missile crisis and the Kennedy assassination and the War in Vietnam. We slept with boyfriends we weren't about to marry and took drugs for fun and declared ourselves liberated from artificial restraints inherited from the...
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We who were children in the 1950s, adolescents in the 1960s, and young adults in the '70s-we are a thing. We practiced what to do in case of nuclear war. We watched American officials-southern sheriffs and governors-openly defend racism. We went through the Cuban missile crisis and the Kennedy assassination and the War in Vietnam. We slept with boyfriends we weren't about to marry and took drugs for fun and declared ourselves liberated from artificial restraints inherited from the past. We were not liberated from the work ethic or from desires to achieve distinction, to attract mates, and to live a life rich in experience. We were not liberated from the need to see our children grow up safe and sane. My parents put some canned goods in the basement and said that was our fall-out shelter. There we were between Ozzie and Harriet and atom bombs. No wonder so many of us decided to live for the moment.We used to admonish each other to "Keep the faith." What did we mean? I'm not sure we really meant anything; maybe we just liked the way it sounded. But looking back on it, I guess it's how we expressed the vague hope that life would get better and freer and more okay for more and more people. I guess that's still what we want.(quoted from Annie and Jeff, major characters in The Grove of Hollow Trees.)