Growing Up Absurd

Growing Up Absurd.
Growing Up Absurd is a 1960 book by Paul Goodman (pictured) on the relationship between American juvenile delinquency and the lack of societal opportunities to fulfill natural needs. It drew from his prior works, psychotherapy practice, and personal experiences and relationships. The book was rejected by nineteen publishers before Norman Podhoretz used selections from it to relaunch the magazine Commentary. Published in hardback by Random House in 1960, and in paperback by Vintage Books in 1962, the book became a bestseller with 100,000 copies sold in its first three years, and was widely read across 1960s college campuses and by student activists and the New Left. The book argues that young American men were justified in their disaffection because their society lacked the preconditions for growing up, such as meaningful work, honorable community, and sexual freedom. In later years, it was criticized for excluding women from its analysis. It was reissued in 2012 by New York Review Books.