I Believe I’ll Go Back Home: Roots and Revival in New England Folk Music

Ostensibly covering the great folk revival and coffeehouse scene in Boston and Cambridge, MA, from 1959 to 1968, Curren (chairman of the board, Folk New England) brilliantly expands that moment—which he calls “a lucid interval in a delusional age”—into a history and analysis of 300 years of the folk tradition in the United States, including the crucial contributions of Indigenous peoples, enslaved people, and colonists. The author covers the folk scene with diligent analysis, an archivist’s eye for detail, and anecdotes aplenty, capturing the imagination and engaging the intellect. Ultimately, the book is about America writ large, the power of our best (and worst) selves, and the role of music in inspiring, reflecting, and recovering the ideals of various times and people. In this time of discord, Curren hits exactly the right note.