Brian Doherty (1)Critiques

I wanted to like this book but did not. First of all, it is dated. That is not the author's fault but the book was written at a very different time in the festival's history and it is difficult to put that context aside.

The author is a bit too much of a fan-boy for me but in fairness, does a pretty even-handed job given the passions around the "good old days" vs the scale Burning Man takes place at today.

Not really a necessary read.

Some interesting ideas but he probably could have cut out most of the filler in the middle in my humble opinion.

If you don't already know about the movement this is a bit hard getting into. I began with the chapter about three important American women includin Ryan and the daughter of the author of Little House on fhe Prarie, then went back to the Austrian econmists and finally selectively read about individual figures. The author not only has done research on the subject he has worked in the movement. Right as we flirt with another government shutdown these ideas are coming to the fore. Excellent. Finally, it was an excellent review of economics. Could I be a Libertarian ? Seems they come in all stripes. I am not convinced, but appreciate these thinkers more now.

Perhaps one of the main reasons for my disappointment with this book is that I have read Reason Magazine for years, including all of Brian Doherty's columns on the subject, so there was very little in it that I had not read already. But I would also have to say that the book was not a page-turner either; it was rather dry.

The book is rather short (126 pages), and less than half deals with the Heller case directly. The rest of the book covers the legal and historical background of gun rights and the gun control debate in the United States. If that is what you are looking for, then this book is probably what you want.½

Those looking for a look into the history of the modern American libertarian movement need to look no further than "Radicals for Capitalism." This fascinating book by the knowledgeable and experienced author Brian Doherty examines not only the the well-known ideological heavyweights of the modern libertarian movement; Rand, Mises, Hayek, Rothbard, etc., but lesser known libertarian writers as well, such as Rose Wilder Lane. Libertarian writers and thinkers are not the only ones to be given time either, the various people and organizations who provided much of the funding (and still do) such as the Koch brothers, the multitude of libertarian organizations and magazines, and the Libertarian Party are all given plenty of space in this history of the libertarian movement. What stands out most however, is how well the author is able to show just how zany some of these libertarian thinkers were and how their relationships were marked by a surprising amount of friendships, feuds and rivalries.

Burning Man is the arts/creativity/freedom/whatever festival held every September in the Nevada desert.

It started in 1980s San Francisco, in part as a reaction to Ronald Reagan’s America. A man named Larry Harvey and some friends gathered on a San Francisco nude beach to burn a wooden effigy of a man (for no especially good reason). The event was "adopted" by various California punk and arts groups, like the L.A. Cacophony Society, and soon grew too big for the nude beach. A home was found deep in the Nevada desert, miles from the nearest civilization.

It is a huge, empty, desolate place, described by one person as living inside an ashtray. The wind blows constantly, sometimes up to 100 miles an hour, and within seconds, everything and everyone is coated with the same gray dust. Permits are required from the Bureau of Land Management, the official owner of the land, and from the local county governments, not always an easy process. As the attendance at Burning Man has grown over the years, from a few hundred people to, presently, 30,000 people, changes have been needed in the organizational structure of the festival. An LLC was formed to take care of the financial recordkeeping, which, for several years in the 1990s, was loose, to say the least. An unofficial police force was formed, to peacefully resolve disputes and to supplement the actual police force, there to keep things from getting too out of hand. Actual zoning has taken place, including the laying out of streets.

At Burning Man, self-reliance is expected by all participants, which includes bringing your own water. Everyone is expected to participate in some sort of art project; spectators are discouraged. "Art" does not mean a painting that is hung on a wall, but some sort of large, interactive creation that people can touch and feel, usually involving fire.

For those with any sort of familiarity about Burning Man, this book does a fine job at getting behind the scenes. For those who have never heard of it, read this story of a truly unique American arts festival. Either way, this is very much recommended.½