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Title: The Fifties by DAVID HALBERSTAM ISBN: 0-449-90933-6 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 10 May, 1994 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.45 (42 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: An incredible narrative for a truly compelling era
Comment: This book brought to life one of the most interesting eras in American history. Mr Halberstam has a gift for describing a happening or character in a fashion that leaves little left unanswered. From assuming that the Fifties were an exact copy of TV's "Happy Days",this book opened my eyes to the actual occurrances that, at times, were anything but happy. The chapters on the Korean conflict and the Civil Rights movement in the South were particularly informative.After meeting the author at a discussion/booksigning for his book "Playing for Keeps" I thanked him for his particular ability to bring his readers close the subjects of his books. He has made me more apt to pick up a book rather than turn on my television.
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Rating: 4
Summary: An Inspiring Look at the Best and Worst of a Special Time
Comment: In "The Fifties", David Halberstam covers a huge range of political, historical and cultural events that defined this pivotal decade. The Korean War, the development of the H-Bomb, the rise of Castro and Kruschev, the violent reactions to the end of racism in America, the fiasco of the U-2 spy plane over Russia is explained and analyzed alongside the rise of Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, Nixon, Television, Levittown, MacDonald's, Holiday Inn, and even the great game show fraud on "Twenty One". The events are integrated with a thorough look into the biographies of the people at the center of the events. An element of hindsight in such a recent historical era may incline biases; but they are largely absent. There is no underlying theme carrying through the narrations; just a look at some of the amazing developments. Halberstam writes with genuine interest and leaves us with a picture that is a joy and a real education. He is masterful covering such a range of events yet is able to include significant detail of the people and the events, giving you a perspective absent the social or media biases of the era.
Rating: 5
Summary: Closest thing to a time machine.
Comment: I received this hefty text several years ago as a gift. Let me say, it was truly that.
This book really brings the roots and context of the era in which we live into sharp focus. From the genesis of the television culture to the real beginnings of the sexual revolution, the book is matched in its breadth only by its deep insight into so many facets of modern American life.
My reading habits generally lean towards non-fiction, because I truly believe that fact is many times stranger than fiction. I really enjoyed this book, and learned a great deal about the generation that came before me (I was born in 1969).
Levittown, Korea, The Kinsey Report, McDonalds, General Motors, the Beat Generation, just a few of the topics which Mr. Halberstam thoughtfully weaves into a coloful and detailed whole.
Finally, although this is a substantial book in terms of the sheer number of pages, it is also very reader-friendly. The chapters are broken into distinct topics so that the whole work can be picked-up and put-down over a long period of time without loosing the interest of the reader.
Man, would I love to sit down with this gentleman and pick his brain. Thank you, thank you, thank you David Halberstam.
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Title: The Best and the Brightest by David Halberstam ISBN: 0449908704 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 26 October, 1993 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: The 1950s (Cultural History of the United States Through the Decades) by Stuart A. Kallen ISBN: 1560065559 Publisher: Lucent Books Pub. Date: January, 1999 List Price(USD): $27.45 |
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Title: As Seen on TV: The Visual Culture of Everyday Life in the 1950s by Karal Ann Marling ISBN: 0674048830 Publisher: Harvard Univ Pr Pub. Date: March, 1996 List Price(USD): $20.50 |
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Title: V Was for Victory: Politics and American Culture During World War II by John Morton, Blum ISBN: 0156936283 Publisher: Harvest Books Pub. Date: 04 November, 1977 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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Title: Summer of '49 by David Halberstam ISBN: 0060007818 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 19 March, 2002 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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