The Rebel Café: Sex, Race, and Politics in Cold War America's Nightclub Underground

An account of how the subterranean nightspots in 1950s New York and San Francisco became social, cultural, and political hothouses for left-wing bohemians.

The art and antics of rebellious figures in 1950s American nightlife—from the Beat Generation to eccentric jazz musicians and comedians—have long fascinated fans and scholars alike. In The Rebel Café, Stephen R. Duncan flips the frame, focusing on the New York and San Francisco bars, nightclubs, and coffeehouses from which these cultural...