Season of the Witch

Enchantment, Terror, and Deliverance in the City of Love

By: David Talbot

Narrated by: Arthur Morey

Length: 16 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Nominee, History, 2013

Season of the Witch is the first book to fully capture the dark magic of San Francisco in this breathtaking period, when the city radically changed itself - and then revolutionized the world. The cool gray city of love was the epicenter of the 1960s cultural revolution. But by the early 1970s, San Francisco’s ecstatic experiment came crashing down from its starry heights. The city was rocked by savage murder sprees, mysterious terror campaigns, political assassinations, street riots, and finally a terrifying sexual epidemic. No other city endured so many calamities in such a short time span.

David Talbot takes us deep into the riveting story of his city’s ascent, decline, and heroic recovery. He draws intimate portraits of San Francisco’s legendary demons and saviors: Charles Manson, Patty Hearst and the Symbionese Liberation Army, Jerry Garcia, Janis Joplin, Bill Graham, Herb Caen, the Cockettes, Harvey Milk, Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple, Joe Montana and the Super Bowl 49ers. He reveals how the city emerged from the trials of this period with a new brand of “San Francisco values”, including gay marriage, medical marijuana, immigration sanctuary, universal health care, recycling, renewable energy, consumer safety, and a living wage mandate. Considered radical when they were first introduced, these ideas have become the bedrock of decent society in many parts of the country, and exemplify the ways that the city now inspires us toward a live-and-let-live tolerance, a shared sense of humanity, and an openness to change.

As a new generation of activists and dreamers seeks its own path to a more enlightened future, Season of the Witch - with its epic tale of the wild and bloody birth of San Francisco values - offers both inspiration and cautionary wisdom.

©2012 David Talbot (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Dbart

Great history of the Bay Area, and structured good. I could not stop listening. Learn something

Excellent!

I'm a native of the Bay Area and had no idea about so much of this history, or at least to this detail. Highly recommend!!

Recommend

I absolutely loved this book. Such a volatile but amazing history of San Francisco. Made me look at the different areas of the city in a new light and made me admire some people that I didn’t before.

Season of the Witch

Totally riveting. This is an accurate accounting of how it was especially in the 60’s, 70’s & 80’s. I will recommend this to everyone who loves San Francisco.

Fascinating historical perspective

Started out a bit slow, and I wasn’t sure if I was up for 16 + hours on San Francisco. However the incredibly interesting details about aspects of life in one of California’s most famous cities kept me totally engrossed. From Janis Joplin to Patty Hearst and the SLA to the Zodiac killings to Jim Jones to the 49ers (and I hate football) to the scourge of AIDS, San Francisco has dealt with more than it’s fair share of tragedy, change, communal compassion and rebirth. There are lessons and morals to be learned from this book. There are true larger than life characters. There is a microcosm of big city life in America at its best and worst. The narrator was as excellent, somehow capturing Charles Manson as well as Harvey Milk and Diane Feinstein.
Absolutely recommend

long and winding road

it was long and felt a bit stream of consciousness but it was also really interesting.

Great great book.

Haven't read a book that great in a very long time. It covers a whole spectrum of stories.

New Transplant to San Francisco

This introduction to my new home, is better than I imagined. A perfect love letter.

Got to take up every stitch.

Great story of the city by the bay in the turbulent times. Would recommend to anyone with interest in San Francisco history.

Great primer on SF histiry

Interesting primer on some of the more sordid and salacious parts of SF history. Spanning politics, sports, pop culture, and tragedies, the book ties together major events in SF's recent history in a narrative that is both broad and in-depth. Very pleased with my decision. to purchase it.