Following Energy

When is the Price of Belonging Too High?

Following Energy 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.

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.

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.

"A very absorbing story, with a really blazing honesty about it that made it riveting." -Diana Gabaldon, 1991 email, referring to an early draft.