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Summary: A summation of post-WWII totalitarianism
Review: There is a great deal of fear in this book. I don't quite know what it is, but the uneasy permutations of everything cruel and sinister since the end of World War II burst forth like a CIA operation to take hold of an impoverished nation. It is a phenominal success. Everything of note is covered, from waste-of-time significance with McDonald's and other numb American industries, to the vicious, self-serving overthrow of Arbenz in Guatemala-- everything detailed in this friendly book makes the reader more and more uncomfortible. It stresses the agony people suffered when they chose not to be a stereotype. It states what people were supposed to be, how they were supposed to act, whom they were supposed to emulate and, above all, what it is to be an American. Halberstam does not editorialize. Many people may read this book and come away with a bloated sense of nostalgia for the good old days, but, truth be told, he sets out to explain why the 1950s were the cruelest of decades. Everything was set up and dictated, the popularization of television brainwashes the frightened people on the brink of nuclear desolation, hammer hammer hammer it in because who knows when the darn Ruskies are gonna blow us all to hell? This is a book about fear. It is a book about understanding. It is a jaunt back to the recent past when things were normal and life wasn't worth living unless you were like everyone else. This still persists today. Prom queen/cheerleaders are elected to student council offices to represent the American norm and outsiders kill themselves in drunk driving 'accidents' and pathetic drug overdoses and slashed wrists. The 50s is a landmark. It shows where everything started going seriously wrong. It itemizes the end of the world, regulates all of us to statistics in a grand, laughing old crowd of hedonistic jingoists and keeps an eye on us to make sure we agree with the ruling party. Die, everyone with a different idology; long live freedom in a bleak, I-command-you world of desperate striving. Camelot is the here and now and live in myths because we are mythic and the black knight is roaming, roving out there waiting to infect your brain. These are the ideas inherent in this book. Do not forget to shudder once you close it for the final time.
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Summary: A wonderful one-volume narrative of a critical decade
Review: Mr. Halberstam delievers a wonderful one-volume account of a decade which introduces many of the arenas of which Americans dealt with from the 1960's to the present and will deal with into the 21st century. His chapter on the mistakes of the American automobile industry during this decade gives us a valuable insight into why the "Big 3" suffered during the 1980s and are still fighting for turf. His book nicely explains how the political and socio-economic cultures were set-up during the post-World World II era. I highly recommend this book for someone who is interested in a good read with decent depth on this decade
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Summary: For "boomers" wanting to get a handle on their 'roots'.
Review: David Halberstam's "the Fifties" is a great primer for any baby boomer wanting to get a handle on why they are they way they are. Halbertam sets the tone with the death of FDR and takes the reader on a journey through the "not-so-boring 50's."
Many of us in the "baby boom" may look back on the Eisenhower years as a time of peace and tranquility missing in the late 90's. Halberstam will set that nostalgia on its ear with insights into the sometimes Machiavellian government policies and social "order" of the times.
From Joe McCarthy to Fidel coming out the mountains, the 50's were anything but placid or benign. This book should be recommended reading for anyone born from 1946 to 1960 who wonders about "kids today" or
the social unrest of the 70's. It's been said many times that those who refuse to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. Nixon, racial hatreds, government peccadilloes....it's all there in "the Fifties" and it does seem, as Mssr. Berra might say "deja vu all over again."
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Summary: Want to understand the 60's?
Review: If you want to understand the upheavals of the 1960's then don't miss this superbly written look at the 1950's by David Halberstam. From the beginnings of the "liberal consensus," the beginnings of the Civil Rights movement, and through the Eisenhower Administration the seeds of upheaval were all sown during the decade we mostly remember as slow, innocent, and eventless. Halberstam has done an excellent job of showing us how skewed our memories can be. I was especially taken in by the onset of Madison Avenue's packaging of presidential candidates beginning in 1952, and also the look at the manipulation employed by Richard Nixon in his famous "Checkers" speech (seems like he got the idea from "Queen for a Day") and his use of his wife Pat for that purpose.
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Summary: WONDERFUL READ - VERY VERY INFORMATIVE
Review: Recommend this one even if you are not interested in this time period. If is full of wonderful tidbits and gives us some very good answers as to how we got were we are today. Having lived through this period of time, I guess, like many, I thought I knew quite a lot. I did'nt. Picked up some very good stuff here. The work is well reasearched and presented in a very readable form. Highly recommend!
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Summary: Closest thing to a time machine.
Review: 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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Summary: A Guided Tour through the 1950's!
Review: This book examines the social, political and world developments that occurred in the United States during the 1950s. This is a wonderful, highly readable book that is rich in detail about a remarkable decade in history. The world changed in unpredictable ways in the 50's and Halberstam touches upon most of the major developments. This book makes clear how many novel developments of the 1950's have become an inseparable part of the fabric of today's society. This decade was a time of rapid change in which new social patterns were established. With World War II just a few years in the past, and he fruits of wartime research and development, Americans found new experiences such as television, along with uncomfortable issues such as atomic and hydrogen bombs and intercontinental missiles. Halberstam weaves a mosaic of this era by treating individual topics in each chapter. He describes the seeds of the Cold War and the Truman presidency. The tragic tale of Robert Oppenheimer, the brilliant leader of the Manhattan Project, who becomes embroiled in the era's hunt for communists is described. The rise of Joseph McCarthy, and the unbridled ambition that destroyed many lives and ultimately destroyed McCarthy. The American intervention in Korea is covered, along with Gen. Mc Arthur. The entry of China into the struggle changes the strategy, and had such a lasting effects into the 21st century. The development of the hydrogen bomb, and the first computers are highlighted. Curtis LeMay establishes the Strategic Air Command to be on constant alert to unleash nuclear destruction. Eisenhower and Khrushchev come into power, and the French are embroiled in Indochina (Viet Nam). The Russians launch Sputnik, and the US is embarrassed by Vanguard. Near the end of the decade Castro overthrows Batista and establishes Cuba as a communist regime. Gary Powers in the U-2 is shot down, and Richard Nixon prepares to run for President. Seemingly small changes in society occur that have lasting influences. The beginning of such cultural watersheds as suburban housing (Levittown), motel chains (Holiday Inn) and fast food (McDonald's) all had their roots in the 1950's, and are all examined. The beginning of the Civil Rights movement, the rise of Elvis Presley and Rock and Roll, and the American automobile, designed with oversized fins by Harley Earl are also in these pages. A wild, tumultuous and vastly entertaining ride!
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Summary: An Interesting Look at the 50's
Review: I always considered the 1950's one of the more boring periods in our history, but I read the book because I'll read anything David Halberstam writes. He entertained me with the stories in this book and proved me wrong in my assumption that it was a boring decade. There was quite a bit going on in this country during the decade, from the explosion of TV and Rock & Roll, to the Korean War. The baby boom was going strong and new businesses like McDonalds and Holiday Inn were spreading all over the country. Halberstam fills us in on all this and a lot more. I love his writing style and he always does a great job of researching the topic. This book was a pleasant surprise.
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Summary: Entertaining and Informative
Review: This book is an excellent combination of political and social history told in a compelling narrative fashion. I was often disappointed when I came to the end of a chapter and had to switch topics. I found myself wanting to know more about the matter at hand, to find out how everything turned out. The author does a good job of avoiding any particular political bias. He rarely comments on whether a particular action was right or wrong. He just presents the facts and let them speak for themselves. One insight that reading this book has given me is how drastically the advent of television altered the landscape of American society. Television lead to the trivialization of the political process, the evolution of advertising into a cultural force, and the steady growth of consumerism. With the large exception of the nuclear bomb, television is the worst thing the 1950's handed down to us.
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Summary: marvelous storytelling
Review: Beautiful. One of the most interesting books I have ever read. Halberstam divides his chapters into two (2) parts:
1. description of a specific person (or persons) in history
2. explaining how this particular individual(s) fits into the larger patterns in history The combination is an awesome ride (or lack of better phrasing). Halmberstam's writing style flows beautifully and is easily understood. His blend of historical storytelling mixed in with biography (see above) forms a beautiful structure where each chapter can easily be taken off and read separately. Splendidly done and a -very- worthwhile read. Sparked most of my interest in history, actually.
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