Radical Ritual - How Burning Man Changed the World
Neil Shister
Publisher: Counterpoint
Summary
In the spirit of Michael Pollan and Priya Parker, Radical Ritual looks at the important sociological and economic lessons to be learned from the fringes of American spiritual culture The narrative unfolds over five years, from 2013-2018, with lots of back-story and interviews with fabled Burning Man personages. Shister argues what Florence was to the Renaissance, Black Rock City is to an unfolding cultural epoch that remains to be named; it is a significant player in the avant-garde forging new social paradigms The author conducted three years of interviews, at the beginning of which he was a deep skeptic about the idea that "Burning Man changes lives." However, in the process of researching this book, he learns (and argues convincingly in these pages) that many people experience personal empowerment there, demonstrating capabilities they never knew they possessed and take actions they previously hadn't dared. Some actively engage as members of the community, starting their own regional events; others summon the nerve to embark on a radically different career or life path. Book will appeal to Burning Man attendees, aspirants, and other regional festival participants; readers will love the "inside look" they get at leaders, especially Larry Harvey And as the success of the recent WILD WILD COUNTRY Netflix show has demonstrated, there's widespread curiosity about spiritual fringe movements; Shister's history provides a rich and rewarding backstory