The 1960s was a period of radical conflict, when the desire for a new, socially defiant freedom affected every aspect of NZ culture: theatre, the visual arts, Maori activism, rock 'n roll, literature, feminism, NZ film, direct action, culminating in a series of bombings that rocked Auckland at the end of the decade.

Featuring figures such as Janet Frame, Tim Shadbolt, Barry Crump, Jean Watson, Hone Tuwhare, Carmen, Bob Lowry, Molly Macalister, Ronald Barker, Anna Hoffmann and the Bower Brothers, Time to Make a Song and Dance captures a spirit of revolt that swept over Auckland and Aotearoa, creating lasting changes to the boundaries of what was permissible. Murray Edmond has written a richly detailed history of the volatile events and personalities at the heart of the time.