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Summary: An incredible narrative for a truly compelling era
Review: 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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Summary: Halberstam must be knighed: a masterpiece in social history.
Review: Social history at its finest. The Fifties is a novel with real life characters. Barely misses a second of history in that seemingly idyllic but quite turbulent decade. His thesis which focuses on the tumoult of a decade which has always been viewed as being oatmeal-ish is unique and thoroughly proven. The chapters on Ray Kroc, Kemmons Wilson, Leavit, Korvettes, Pincus, Keansey, Brando, Monroe, the H-Bomb, Peyton Place, Harley Earle, Korea, Milton Berle, the Quiz Show scandals...actually all of the chapters, are fascinating. Please, I beg you, read this book. E-mail me, I will lend you my copy.
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Summary: Engrossing story about a misunderstood decade
Review: Halberstam is at his best in this volume, which is chocked full of famous and "not so famous" stories and anecdotes of the 50's. Beginning with the development of the H-bomb and our cold war fears, Halberstam guides the reader through a fascinating voyage that covers political, social, and economic history. With topics ranging from the development of McDonalds, television, Korea, Eisenhower, the beginnings of feminism, the beats, and so much more, this book opens eyes as to what the 50's were truly like. I highly recommend this book to all who want to look beyond the nostalgia and get to what really happened in what some have called the most interesting decade of the 20th century.
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Summary: Shows true account of the 1950's
Review: Excellent book. Great from a historical perspective and from a social-economic perspective. Halberstam goes over the most important events of that decade and over some of the more interesting aspects also (such as how the suburbs got built, how MacDonald's got started and how the visions of "ordinary men" like Kroc and Levitt came to fruition). Anybody who thinks that the '50's were the "good old days" should read this book, because it opens your eyes to things you may not have known or forgotten about. I highly recommend this book.
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Summary: A great historical work of the Fifties.
Review: A great historical work on the Fifties, from pop culture, to politics, to social issues and civil rights. Halberstam tells a great story--like any good journalist would.. He has perhaps many advantages: he was there to cover many of the stories in person. In most instances the reader receives a first hand account of many events.
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Summary: Superb
Review: I decided to buy the book after seeing the TV series based on the book. It is superb. As someone who was born in 1970, my only exposure to the 50s was through Happy Days. David Halberstam's book provided a superb account of this decade and how it affected the 60's and beyond. His writing style is captivating.
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Summary: An entertaining pop-history of the US from Korea to Kennedy
Review: Halberstam's Fifties is a highly readable text which uses gossipy personal storytelling to cover a panorama of subjects from Korea and Eisenhower to the Pill and Elvis. The book is an easy read and can be readily broken down by chapters for the tepid browser. Halberstam is annoyingly left-wing in his opinions of personalities (I say this being no right-winger myself). He tends to simplify people into good guys and bad guys, but his knowledge is formidable and his subjects dynamically varient. What strikes a reader like me, born well after the Ike era, is the dynamic nature of that decade. He is particulary good on popular culture and domestic inovations whose effects rage strong today. The Fifties is a fun and informative book!
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Summary: A Page-Turner
Review: One of the best books I've ever read. Covers McCarthyism and red-baiting; the Eisenhower Presidency; the civil rights movement; the Beat Poets; Marilyn Monroe; Martin Luther King; TV; Elvis; Sputnik; Nixon; the Cold War...
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Summary: Halberstam's The Fifties was exciting enough to be fiction.
Review: David Halberstam's Book The Fifties is a breathtaking study of the many aspects and directions the fifties took. By examining key issues, he shows us the debt our current life owes to this pivotal decade. Some chapters are so interesting I found myself telling friends of some of the interesting facts and anecdotes Halberstam's uncovers. In fact, he has a knack for making each chapter more exciting than the previous one--the reader can't wait to continue. This is unusual for non-fiction. I recommend this book to everyone, not just those who has lived through decade.
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Summary: Great read! \
Review: The Rosenbergs' execution is conspicuous by its omission.
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