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Rating: 
Summary: Readable and interesting
Review: As a big fan of Bill Clinton, Johnson did justice in pointing out that Clinton had more potential. People who like Clinton will be reminded that he was human, and a politician that can be trapped by the office and power. It's not what he did, it's what he could have been. The Clinton years were good for me and this book reminded me that it's not what you are but what you could have been that gets under your skin. Bet we all wish we bought eBay on day 1.
Rating:
Summary: The Best of Times - by Haynes Johnson
Review: Every so often I read an exceptional book on current topics. One such book is "The Best of Years - America in the Clinton Years" by Haynes Johnson which I read over the holidays. Johnson is a long-time television commentator, a Pulitzer Prize winner and author of numerous books over the past 35 years (about my age) on topical events. Johnson's book, which was published in late 2001, begins with a sketch of events - or culture - in the "Golden Age" - the 1990's. It is followed by two sections giving an analysis of two major factors affecting the culture of the "'90's" - technology and the media. The book then gives an in-depth portrayal of the Clinton Scandal which one could either read or just scan if he or she wished. At the end of the book is an excellent analysis of various sectors of society which were affected by the topics discussed - sectors such as the people, the markets, the media, and the political process. It concludes with an "Epilogue" which focuses on issues our 'age' should resolve as we move into the 21st Century. The book begins with a fascinating discussion, at least for me, of how our current 'computer' culture was developed. It also discussed the rapid advances in 'Gene Technology' during the 1990's - a technology which provides so much promise - but causes an equal amount of controversy. It then discusses how the media has changed over my (or Johnson's) lifetime - a change not necessarily for the good. Portions of the book may seem political - not a Republican or Democratic "political", but "political" from how our system of government works - or does not work. Part may seem to be an 'over-do' of the Clinton-Monica 'affair', but that is a significant portion of the overall 'culture' of the '90's and deserves a 'read'. The book is excellent and worthy of the time from a busy schedule to read, comprehend and give thought to the issues discussed.
Rating:
Summary: The Best of Times - by Haynes Johnson
Review: Every so often I read an exceptional book on current topics. One such book is "The Best of Years - America in the Clinton Years" by Haynes Johnson which I read over the holidays. Johnson is a long-time television commentator, a Pulitzer Prize winner and author of numerous books over the past 35 years (about my age) on topical events. Johnson's book, which was published in late 2001, begins with a sketch of events - or culture - in the "Golden Age" - the 1990's. It is followed by two sections giving an analysis of two major factors affecting the culture of the "'90's" - technology and the media. The book then gives an in-depth portrayal of the Clinton Scandal which one could either read or just scan if he or she wished. At the end of the book is an excellent analysis of various sectors of society which were affected by the topics discussed - sectors such as the people, the markets, the media, and the political process. It concludes with an "Epilogue" which focuses on issues our 'age' should resolve as we move into the 21st Century. The book begins with a fascinating discussion, at least for me, of how our current 'computer' culture was developed. It also discussed the rapid advances in 'Gene Technology' during the 1990's - a technology which provides so much promise - but causes an equal amount of controversy. It then discusses how the media has changed over my (or Johnson's) lifetime - a change not necessarily for the good. Portions of the book may seem political - not a Republican or Democratic "political", but "political" from how our system of government works - or does not work. Part may seem to be an 'over-do' of the Clinton-Monica 'affair', but that is a significant portion of the overall 'culture' of the '90's and deserves a 'read'. The book is excellent and worthy of the time from a busy schedule to read, comprehend and give thought to the issues discussed.
Rating: 
Summary: 3 1/2 stars
Review: Haynes Johnson’s latest work takes you into the nineties. A decade where the market soared and technology boomed. A decade when scandal seemed to be on everyone’s mind and on everyone’s TV.
A good portion of this book involves Clinton and his escapades. Other portions talk about technology and its affect on everything from the sciences, where the genome is being mapped, to the Internet, and its web over the country. The popularity of scandal TV and reality TV get quite a bit of mention also. From the O.J. debacle to the Monica story. Is it the dumbing down of the media for the public or the other way around? Johnson has summarized the nineties fairly well. This brief history covers quite a bit of territory and is written in a concise and readable way. If you’ve kept up with the times, you won’t learn anything new here, but it will bring back some either good or bad memories.
Rating:
Summary: 3 1/2 stars
Review: Haynes Johnson’s latest work takes you into the nineties. A decade where the market soared and technology boomed. A decade when scandal seemed to be on everyone’s mind and on everyone’s TV.
A good portion of this book involves Clinton and his escapades. Other portions talk about technology and its affect on everything from the sciences, where the genome is being mapped, to the Internet, and its web over the country. The popularity of scandal TV and reality TV get quite a bit of mention also. From the O.J. debacle to the Monica story. Is it the dumbing down of the media for the public or the other way around? Johnson has summarized the nineties fairly well. This brief history covers quite a bit of territory and is written in a concise and readable way. If you’ve kept up with the times, you won’t learn anything new here, but it will bring back some either good or bad memories.
Rating:
Summary: review of the 90's
Review: One of the best of the gaggle of electronic journalists who has successfully made the transition to writing full-time as a contemporary historian is former television correspondent Haynes Johnson, who has penned a wonderful series of books on American politics and social issues like "Sleepwalking Through History", a savvy and fascinating best-selling study of the Reagan's presidency and its aftermath. In this book, In "The Best of Times", Johnson adds to his series of fascinating narratives on contemporary American culture that now focuses on the intriguing developments of the 1990s. As in his previous book, "Divided We Fall; Gambling With History In The Nineties", Johnson explores the social, economic and politics realities of the times in a work that largely acts as a snapshot of the country and the polity at a particular moment in time, i.e., in the late 1990s, in the fullness of Bill Clinton's fateful Presidency. One of the things making this book special is the author's unusual ability to draw those that he interviews out of themselves. As a result he mines some fascinating data from the wide range of people he contacted while making a kind of sentimental journey across America. He found that people quite consistently voiced concerns and reservations about the same kinds of issues; employment, race, education, public schools, and also about traditional values and what their place in contemporary America should be. Johnson divides the snapshot into four different views or perspectives; taken together they comprise his view of the state of the polity, and taken individually, each lends a critical element to the otherwise bewildering polyphony that is our contemporary culture. The first of the snapshots is of the so-called short life of "Technotimes", which nimbly traces the daunting list of scientific particulars dotting the numbing technological advances and accompanying changes in corporate culture it imbues. The second theme, that of "Teletimes," is a distressingly accurate portrayal of the developing cult of celebrity, the contributing influence of electronic media, and its rampant manifestations throughout the social, political, and economic landscape. The third aspect investigated is what he refers to as "Scandal Times", which focuses on the sordid particulars of the Monica Lewinsky affair and the ay in which it was allowed to corrupt every aspect of the Clinton administration. Finally, he describes "Millennial Times," showing the degree of diversity and pluralism that still remains and flourishes in contemporary America. Faced with unpleasant choices about how to deal with the development of terrorism, our new economic woes, and a rapidly evolving technology, the use of this point/counterpoint perspective has some interesting points to make about the state of the country and the culture. Thus, this is a book that paints an indelible and unforgettable portrait of today's modern America, a country characterized by the common people feeling both frightened by the brave new world we now face and yet at the same time embracing this new world with care, compassion, and courage. As always, Johnson finds ample reasons for hope and optimism, and some of the individual narratives provide ample proof that idealism isn't dead, that there are people who passionately care about their country and their values, and who are actively involved in trying to make this a better country and a better world.
Rating:
Summary: The Aliens will have The Best of Times, not us.
Review: The song goes, "The best of times is here." I know it was not written during the Clinton years as President of this fine country. The title of this book is deceptive (I think that Haynes Johnson did a bit of 'sleepwalking' himself through these turbulent years) as he admits later on that it was a time of lost opportunities. How then, could these have been the 'best of times.' Far from the best, for some it was the worst. Take for instance the debacle of the OJ trial which kept me and thousands of others tuned in to Court TV instead of getting on with our lives. He tells in great detail starting with the stupidity played out with tv cameras showing the white Bronco merely going from one place to another. There was no race or attempt at escape. It was just dumb reporting. On hindsight, I think how stupid OJ was and the millions of his fans who tried to stand by him. I too was stupid to sit day after day to learn all the details, only to be deceived with all the coverup and the final payoff when he is let go scot free. What a country! How could this possibly be ever a good time, certainly not a 'best' time. It was a tragedy laid on the conscience of a country who should have let the man have his day in court without all the hoopla. Why Mr. Johnson even included Clinton in the title is mind boggling as he tore down all the man's image and laid out the dirty laundry. Weren't we all told to keep one's sins to himself and not include innocent bystanders? He may be a university teacher, but I wonder if he has morals of his own. He is trying to persuade us commoners that there has been a confirmation of the existence of extraterrestrial life somewhere out there. I'm not sure my son believes that anymore, as he once did when a grad student in astronomy at the University of Chicago. It seems we have enough intelligent life here on earth. Why brain wash the public when nothing is confirmed? Who cares anyway whether we are alone in the vast universe? Maybe they are true (these rumors) but suffice it to say, they (whoever, whatever they are) will not be like us. The Jet Propulsion Lab at Pasadena will not have the last word. If you believe in God, you know that He has us here for a reason -- to love one another and to help your fellow man -- not to spend enormous sums to determine if aliens exist. They are already here amongst us. More power to Bill Clinton who did the best he could with what he had to work with. If these were the best of times, perhaps they were for him. He had a ball there in the White House. This commentator whom I have never heard or seen is clearly pro-Bush.
Rating:
Summary: The Aliens will have The Best of Times, not us.
Review: The song goes, "The best of times is here." I know it was not written during the Clinton years as President of this fine country. The title of this book is deceptive (I think that Haynes Johnson did a bit of 'sleepwalking' himself through these turbulent years) as he admits later on that it was a time of lost opportunities. How then, could these have been the 'best of times.' Far from the best, for some it was the worst. Take for instance the debacle of the OJ trial which kept me and thousands of others tuned in to Court TV instead of getting on with our lives. He tells in great detail starting with the stupidity played out with tv cameras showing the white Bronco merely going from one place to another. There was no race or attempt at escape. It was just dumb reporting. On hindsight, I think how stupid OJ was and the millions of his fans who tried to stand by him. I too was stupid to sit day after day to learn all the details, only to be deceived with all the coverup and the final payoff when he is let go scot free. What a country! How could this possibly be ever a good time, certainly not a 'best' time. It was a tragedy laid on the conscience of a country who should have let the man have his day in court without all the hoopla. Why Mr. Johnson even included Clinton in the title is mind boggling as he tore down all the man's image and laid out the dirty laundry. Weren't we all told to keep one's sins to himself and not include innocent bystanders? He may be a university teacher, but I wonder if he has morals of his own. He is trying to persuade us commoners that there has been a confirmation of the existence of extraterrestrial life somewhere out there. I'm not sure my son believes that anymore, as he once did when a grad student in astronomy at the University of Chicago. It seems we have enough intelligent life here on earth. Why brain wash the public when nothing is confirmed? Who cares anyway whether we are alone in the vast universe? Maybe they are true (these rumors) but suffice it to say, they (whoever, whatever they are) will not be like us. The Jet Propulsion Lab at Pasadena will not have the last word. If you believe in God, you know that He has us here for a reason -- to love one another and to help your fellow man -- not to spend enormous sums to determine if aliens exist. They are already here amongst us. More power to Bill Clinton who did the best he could with what he had to work with. If these were the best of times, perhaps they were for him. He had a ball there in the White House. This commentator whom I have never heard or seen is clearly pro-Bush.
Rating:
Summary: Provides a thorough coverage of eight years
Review: This informative survey of American history during the Clinton era provides an account of the many social, political and technological changes which took place during his administration. From newspaper scandals and headlines to the latest scientific discoveries, Best of Times provides a thorough coverage of eight years of contemporary U.S. events.
Rating: 
Summary: The Context is What Matters
Review: While Johnson's treatment of OJ and the Clinton Impeachment trial provide a quick and thorough summary of those pivotal events, the real strength in the book is in the context set in the first half. Johnson effectively argues that the growth of technology (including the internet and biotech) combined with the cable news revolution to create a context that made a scandal-prone 90s possible. OJ couldn't have happened without CNN and Court TV. Lessons learned there proved invaluable in Monica coverage. The stock market boom (and subsequent fizzle) are directly related to both technology and media. While Johnson covers much material that can be read elsewhere, it is the connections between these larger social themes that proves significant to this work. Paying attention to those themes of technology, media, and celebrity as we start a new century moves the argument far beyond "what happened when" and gives us clues of what will be read when Mr. Johnson details the first decade of the 21st Century in his next book.
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