The Fifties by David Halberstam Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Fifties
Book Review: Mr. Halberstam's Best Book, A very Colorful Survey.
Summary: 5 Stars
Honestly, this book should be required reading for all of our high school students. It is far better than any traditional school texts we had covering this era. "The Fifties," is a finely written history of the decade that the author considers "seminal in determining what our nation is today."
The author combines a very engaging historical narrative with deep social commentary that illuminates the controversial & complex events & people which made the 1950's so important to the USA. From the unexpected victory of Harry Truman over Republican rival Thomas Dewey in the 1948 Presidential election, the Korean War, the firing of General Douglass MacArthur, Alger Hiss, Whittaker Chambers, the Sputnik satellite launch 1957, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, & the burgeoning Civil Rights movement. To the rise of Senator Mccarthy, Khrushev, & Fidel Castro taking over Cuba in 1959.
Mr. Halberstam argues persuasively that despite, its tranquill facade, that the 1950's was a time of huge social upheavel. He goes about this by pointing out the laeders of the anti-establishment movement. Such as Allen Ginsburg, Jack Kerouac, & the Beatniks. The latters philosophy would come to full bloom in the "hippie" culture of the 1960's. The influence of Katherine Mccormick & Margeret Sanger led to strides in birth control & Feminism. While Television helped the Alpha entertainment careers of Steve Allen, Cid Caeser, Desi Arnaz, Lucille Ball, & Milton Berle. TV also helped popularize the Meteoric popularity of Rock & Roll & its main icon Elvis Presley & the new fast food culture. Which saw the steady growth of the original California based McDonalds Hamburger chain after the McDonald brothers sold it to entrepeneur Ray Kroc.
Lastly, this was the decade that saw the huge rise in the interstate highway system that led to our car culture & enabled millions of Americans to travel around the country easier than ever before.
Book Review: Mr. Halberstam's Prose Gave Me Eye Strain
Summary: 3 Stars
The thesis is one of genius. Condensed to a description, this book sounds like a winner. But try resting all dozen pounds of it on your chest in bed at night and trying to stay awake to get to the heart of this investigation beyond the myth of '50's nostalgia. This is not light reading, this is sandpaper for the human spirit. I found some German philosophers lighter than David Halberstam. I kid you not.
Halberstam is probably correct in most of what he has to say about the middle decade of the century just completed, but it's HOW he says it that drags this from a five-star rating to a three. Yes, he's done his research well, and yes, inarguably the whole 1950's was like some nationwide pressure cooker waiting to explode into political protests and civil rights struggles and gender role debates, but in the heavy-handed touch of this author, getting to that message was like looking for a poodle lost in freshly poured cement.
Book Review: Outstanding history the 1950s in America!
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Fifties," is an exceptionally well written history of the turbulent decade that author David Halberstam considers "seminal in determining what our nation is today." Halberstam combines a highly readable historical narrative with insightful social commentary to trace the many complex and controversial people and events which made the sixth decade of the twentieth century so historically important for the United States. From the unexpected triumph of President Harry Truman over Republican challenger Thomas E. Dewey in the 1948 election, to the coming to power of Kennedy, Khruschev, and Castro at the end of the decade, the reader is witness to the historical and social upheaval of the 1950s: the Korean War, and Truman's controversial firing of General Douglas MacArthur; the rise of Senator Joseph McCarthy and his virulent anti-communist crusade which came to be known as McCarthyism; Alger Hiss, Whittaker Chambers, Richard Nixon, and the House Un-American Activities Committee; the dawn of the space age and America's race for space with the USSR; the anti-establishment movement, personified by Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsburg, and the "Beats;" the establishment of such American institutions as McDonald's, Holiday Inn, and birth control; the coming of rock `n roll and Elvis Presley, Charles Van Doren and the TV quiz show scandals; and many others. Halberstam paints an extraordinarily detailed and colorful portrait of the middle decade of the 20th century, and explains why it was so pivotal to the way our American culture has developed since. This is a fascinating and highly entertaining book, one which I think is Halberstam's best. Highly recommended!Book Review: Overwhelming
Summary: 5 Stars
I am living in Belgium and here we are plunged in a world of stereotypes about the American society. Reading that book has enabled me to have a clearer picture about what was going on in the US at that time. This book is very rich and drives you to read more about all the topics it covers : the creation of the Mc Donald, the civil rights movement, the emergence of publicity on tv, the presidential campaigns, the atomic bomb, the dialogue with Russia, the creation of Holiday Inn, are only a few of them. The information is just overwhelming. I bought three other books by D. Halberstam, I love his style, his ability to mix history and the narrative, it really is an enjoyable experience to read his books. Don't hesitate !Book Review: Shows true account of the 1950's
Summary: 5 Stars
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.