Despite countless books about the 1960s counterculture, historian Dennis McNally says no one has properly examined where the word “hippie” actually came from—until now.
“To me, the most surprising thing is that no one has really looked at where ‘hippie’ came from, although God knows there have been enough books about the era,” Dennis McNally said.
His new book “The Last Great Dream: How Bohemians Became Hippies and Created the Sixties” traces this cultural evolution, arguing that the movement’s ideas remain powerfully relevant today.
“The Last Great Dream tracks something important because the social issues of Haight-Ashbury…are still completely relevant,” he noted.
McNally will discuss and sign the book Friday, Aug. 8, at 7 p.m. in a free event at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena.
The book, published May 13 by Da Capo Press, has earned critical acclaim.
Publishers Weekly gave it a starred review, calling it “a stunning vision of a broad and powerful idealism.”
Kirkus Reviews described it as “an ambitious, highly capable work of cultural history.”
For Dennis McNally, the hippie movement represents an enduring dream.
“It was a…dream of a better way to live…and it didn’t last in physical form for very long, although the ideas still do,” he said.
The event takes place in the wheelchair-accessible Gould Room at 695 E. Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena.
Free parking available behind the store.
“Dennis McNally discusses & signs ‘The Last Great Dream: How Bohemians Became Hippies and Created the Sixties'” will run on Friday, Aug. 8 at 7 p.m. at Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., in Pasadena.For more information, call (626) 449-5320 or visit https://vromansbookstore.com/event/2025-08-08/dennis-mcnally. Ticket prices: Free
