Arnie’s Pick:
March 2014
The Fifties
David Halberstam, Published 1993
So many enjoyable reads result from one reader recommending a book to a friend. Discussing plans to work less and read more, a friend at work suggested to me David Halberstam’s 1993 New York Times’ bestseller. A long, cold winter was a perfect opportunity to curl up with this readable volume.
While the author discusses subjects beyond the boundaries of the United States, the book could best be titled “The Fifties in America”.
Seven hundred and thirty three pages provide Halberstam an opportunity to write an encyclopedic survey of people and events, but choices had to be made as to what to include and what to exclude. Personalities range from Truman to Kennedy, Elvis to Marilyn Monroe. Social changes, including the civil rights movement, the pill, and effects of television all receive easily read and understood chapters. Despite the 733 pages, the book reads like a series of newspaper articles.
Halberstam’s work provides a broad picture of the changes during this mid-century decade. Although the author does not provide specific theses, the book helps the reader to understand the basis of events in the following decades.
Whether you were a teenager in the 1950’s, with other ideas about “curling up”, or much younger, now is a fine time to get this book from our library and learn why this decade was such an influential basis for our 21st century world.