The Hippest Trip in America: Soul Train and the Evolution of Culture & Style – A Fascinating Portrait of the Iconic Show and Its Indelible Mark on Black Music and Pop Culture

I grew up with Soul Train so it brought back so many memories. I thank Don for his great contribution to Black history. LOVE, PEACE AND SOUL!!

I really enjoyed the book, it allowed me to relive the my teenage through adult years with Soul Train. This book to me right back to my living room on Saturday morning, thanks for the trip. However I would have like to seen more pictures in the book...Other than that I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

This is amazing read. I strongly recommend to anyone who wants to understand how Soul Train show means to Black America. I grew up seeing Soul Train and I’m glad this book came to existence to share with everyone

So much information I never knew about. Great read!

Does SOUL TRAIN deserve a better book than THE HIPPEST TRIP IN AMERICA, journalist Nelson George’s slapdash examination of what was often referred to as the “black AMERICAN BANDSTAND”? Most definitely; however, George creates an enjoyable read but skips around so much, paying little attention to the times, both tumultuous and serene, that made up the late 1960s through the mid-2000s. Lip service chapters are given to the fashion and the music, as well as the shows’ roots, but little is revealed about the late Don Cornelius and the lasting legacy the show has left, with the exception of Questlove, who seems to be the only person who remembers the show fondly. The rest of the big is page after page of dancer biographies with few pictures. With the exception of Rosie Perez and Nick Cannon, none stand out, though there reflections are valid. This is apparently a companion book to the VH-1 special, but George points out that the doc is unavailable on DVD due to music clearance issues. It just seems to me that a big that celebrated the black experience from the days of the 1960s riots through 9/11 should have more sociology and history and less reflections on the history of dance.

An absolutely fantastic book about the history of Soul Train and how it effected others, helped the black community & a lot of people within the business, and helped evolving the dance/music world. READ IT!

This book was very entertaining and I recommend this book for anyone who was a fan of Soul Train.

Very enlightening as to the personalities of Don Cornelius and the mindsets of dancers and stars as well.

I read this as a UK Soul fan , and did not come to it or read it through the eyes of someone who viewed Soul Train shows. It provides a good background story to the slightly fictional account of Don Cornelius portrayed in the TV series American Soul. Ive still got Nelson George's first two book on Motown and The Death of Rhythm and Blues which to be honest I think are far better . This book does provide some fascinating background to the development of Soul Train, and the characters involved but I would have liked to have learnt more about the artists involved and the shows impact . Instead there is a lot of profiles of the dancers , who clearly became legends in their own right but they didn't;t grip me. The chapter Oversea's Soul is given 4 pages almost all of which focus on Japan , which I think does not do justice to the world wide legacy of the show and its appeal. I sense it was rather a rushed publication but still worth reading .

Just as advertised and received much quicker than expected.