People of the Rainbow: A Nomadic Utopia

by Michael I. Niman

Book Overview

Since 1972 the Rainbow Family of Living Light, a loosely organized and anarchistic nomadic community, has been holding large gatherings in remote forests to pray for world peace and create a model of a functioning utopian society. Michael I. Niman's People of the Rainbow, originally published in 1997, was the first comprehensive study of this countercultural group and its eclectic philosophy of environmentalism, feminism, peace activism,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0870499890
• ISBN13: 9780870499890
• Release Date: October 1997
• Publisher: Univ Tennessee Press
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Truthful, it gets past hype and glamor and gets to the facts

As part of a church that is ministering to Rainbow People and helping the "rejected of the rejected" come to Father God who is there for them, this gives some insights into structure and issues for understanding folks within the Rainbow culture. This is a very well researched, structured and written piece of work.

This is the best book available on the Rainbows

Michael Niman's book is the most objective and comprehensive study to date of the Rainbow Family of Living Light. Professor Niman utilizes numerous interviews with Family members, Forest Service officials, and other participants to present a well-rounded view of a complex social system. Of particular interest will be his comparison of the Rainbow Family to other Utopian societies of the past and present.

Very readable and enjoyable piece of non-fiction

Having been to a few Rainbow Gatherings in my past, Niman's book caught my interest. However the book is not written only for those familiar with the Rainbow Familiy. Using a combination of participant observation and comparison to other utopian societies, Niman shows the complexity of this community of choice.