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Title: The Age of Great Dreams: America in the 1960s (American Century Series) by David R. Farber, Eric Foner ISBN: 0-8090-1567-6 Publisher: Hill & Wang Pub. Date: 01 April, 1994 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.67 (3 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Overview of the 1960's
Comment: The age of great dreams turned into the age of great nightmares, which America has still not awakened from. David Farber shows us where it all began in his history of the 1960's. The back cover says Farber teaches history at the University of New Mexico and is also the author of some other books on the 1960's, specifically "Chicago '68." I have not read any of his other books, but this one is well written and provides a good overview of the turbulent age of rebellion.
Farber starts his book with a quick overview of the 1950's, essential for studying the 1960's. Farber shows how economic, social and political conditions laid the groundwork for the 1960's. Some of the conditions of the 1950's fairly well known: the baby boom and suburban growth were the fuel for the fire in the 1960's. Farber also writes about the conditions of blacks in the 1950's, as well as the growing omnipresence of television and advertising. Farber titled this chapter, "Good Times," but many problems lay under the surface, ready to explode at the slightest spark.
The rest of the book deals with almost every aspect of the 1960's. From Kennedy to Nixon, Farber misses few opportunities to bring to light both the good and the bad. He covers everything from LSD to the Bay of Pigs, from SDS to the sit-ins. His major theme is how the 1960's started out with Kennedy's vision of a "New Frontier," where anything seemed possible for an America rich in resources. By the end of the book, Farber shows the dawning realization that it can't all be done, that possibilities are not limitless. It took a mess of assassinations, a spoiled generation of brats, a huge war, and the Great Society programs of LBJ to show America that there were limits on what the country could do.
This is a good book that will certainly introduce anyone who reads it to the major themes of the 1960's. Focusing on the 1960's is important because it helps us forget about the 1970's, with pet rocks and the clothes my Mom made me wear predominating the memories of that decade. This was the main book for the class I took on the 1960's, and it was a good choice.
Rating: 2
Summary: It just seemed so superficial
Comment: This books seemed to be based on two assumptions about history writing that are outdated and superficial. The two problems come up right at the begining with Farber's description of new year's eve in 1959 and what the three famous people (Ike, head of catholic church in USA, and MLK) were doing that evening. This book falls into the trap of looking at the sixties independent of its context as well as taking a top down perspective that ignores the local political movements that really move history. He redeems himself slightly with a nod to the fifties and the local activists in the 60's that really led the way to social change but it is too little too late. I have not seen a synthetic view of the 60's that is able to adequately show this overall context as well as give due credit to the underlying social movements. (John Dittmer does do a great job of this for the civil right movement in Mississippi in his book "Local People")
Rating: 5
Summary: RATIONAL PERSPECTIVES ON A TURBULENT ERA
Comment: How can college students today understand the passions, complexities, and puzzles of the 1960s? This lucid and accessible survey illuminates the connections between the emerging consumer culture, social movements, and political tensions from 1960-1974. Written by a Barnard College historian for undergraduate students, this multi-dimensional shows the often conflicting factors and personalities behind critical events from Kennedy's election and the Cuban Missile Crisis to sit-in demonstrations and assassinations (JFK, Martin Luther King, RFK) and the escalating Vietnam War. Avoiding the glib and superficial conclusions that mar too many books on the 60s', this informative synthesis combines insider memoirs, oral histories, popular TV shows and census data in an engaging account. An excellent selection for American Studies, Cultural Studies, and modern American History courses.
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Title: The Times Were a Changin': The Sixties Reader by Irwin Unge, Irwin Unger, Debi Unger ISBN: 0609803379 Publisher: Three Rivers Press (CA) Pub. Date: 01 August, 1998 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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Title: The Columbia Guide to America in the 1960s (Columbia Guides to American History and Cultures) by David Farber, Beth Bailey ISBN: 0231113730 Publisher: Columbia University Press Pub. Date: 15 March, 2003 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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Title: The 60's: From Memory to History by David Farber ISBN: 0807844624 Publisher: University of North Carolina Press Pub. Date: 01 September, 1994 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: The Movement and the Sixties by Terry H. Anderson ISBN: 0195104579 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 01 May, 1996 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: "Takin' It to the Streets": A Sixties Reader by Alexander Bloom, Wini Breines ISBN: 019514290X Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 01 December, 2002 List Price(USD): $39.95 |
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