Boom!
Voices of the Sixties: Personal Reflections on the '60s and
Today ,
by Tom Brokaw (Read by the author)
The title may imply the sound of a large explosion,
but it really refers to the birth of the era of the baby boomers.
Noted television news anchor and best-selling author Tom Brokaw
was working as a reporter in the late 50s, so he was perfectly
poised to observe the happenings of the sixties and the years
that followed. Using his personal experience and the material
gleaned from interviewing a wide cross-section of people who
lived through the time, he tells a story that could fill history
books. He defines "the sixties" as roughly the time
between 1963 and 1974, or the years between the assassination
of President Kennedy and the end of the war in Viet Nam.
Brokaw focuses on the year 1968, which he calls
a pivotal year in our country's history. Changes were occurring
in many areas of American life, and the baby boomers were
responsible for either causing or for calling attention to,
many of the changes. They were in the center of anti-war protests
and civil rights marches, and they embraced the new culture
of recreational drug use and the sexual revolution. Things
like divorce and extramarital sex, which had been taboo in
the 50's, became almost fashionable in the 70's. We went from
the 50s days of "go along and get along" to the
70s days of "if it feels good, do it."
Boom! reads like a novel with a fast-moving
plot and fascinating characters. It is a great introduction
to this extraordinary time period for those who were born
after the sixties and an insightful analysis for those who
lived through it. Brokaw's conversational style of narration
provides an intimate listening experience. You feel like you're
sitting in your living room watching the evening news. Major
events of the sixties, like the assassinations of John and
Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., race riots, anti-war
demonstrations, college sit-ins, the feminist movement, and
Woodstock are described through interviews with the players
and observers of the actual events.
Various politicians discuss their involvement
in particular movements, and noted writers comment on pop
culture trends like the hippies' "flower power"
and Beatlemania. Information and insight -- it's a powerful
combination. Tom Brokaw provides both in this very enjoyable
and highly recommended audio book.
John
Mormon
3/28/08
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