On The Table Read Magazine, “the best entertainment eBook magazine UK“, After Woodstock by Howard Reiss captures the enduring power of friendship forged at the iconic 1969 festival, weaving a poignant tale of two lives diverging yet bound by shared history.
After Woodstock
In the summer of 1969, half a million people gathered on a 600-acre dairy farm in Bethel, New York, for the Woodstock music festival, a cultural touchstone that became a symbol of peace, love, and solidarity amid a turbulent era.
For award-winning author Howard Reiss, who graduated high school just months before the event, Woodstock’s legacy of unity inspired his latest novel, After Woodstock. This poignant work explores how a shared experience can forge unbreakable bonds, weaving a fictional tale of lifelong friendship against the backdrop of a transformative moment in history.
Set against pivotal events of 1969—the Stonewall Riots, the moon landing, the Chappaquiddick incident, the Manson family murders, and the Vietnam War—After Woodstock follows best friends Jack and Bryan, who met in preschool at age two. As high schoolers, Jack dreamed of earning a doctorate in math and computer technology to build the first android robot, while Bryan envisioned a glamorous life as a lawyer with a city penthouse and a Hamptons estate. When the chance to attend Woodstock arose, the three-day festival of peace and music offered an escape from the era’s turmoil—and became a turning point for both.
For Jack, Woodstock marked a dramatic shift from his planned path. Through letters exchanged over the next 50 years, After Woodstock traces how Jack and Bryan navigate their diverging lives while preserving a friendship rooted in their shared history. Reiss masterfully captures the spirit of an era and the essence of enduring connection, reminding readers that true friendship can transcend even the deepest differences.
Howard Reiss
A graduate of Dartmouth College and Columbia Law School, Reiss brings authenticity to his storytelling. His own proximity to the Woodstock era—having graduated high school in 1969—infuses the novel with vivid detail and emotional resonance. An award-winning author of 13 other novels and a co-founder of a soup kitchen in Nyack, New York, Reiss uses After Woodstock to reflect on how collective experiences, like those at Woodstock, can shape lives and relationships for decades.
After Woodstock is a testament to the power of solidarity and the enduring ties that bind, offering a heartfelt exploration of friendship in a world of change. For readers seeking a story that resonates with both historical weight and personal intimacy, Reiss’s latest work is a compelling journey back to a time when peace and love briefly triumphed over division.
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