To continue our monthly series of book lists, the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library would like to recommend the following titles reflecting on past decades.
America Enters the World: a People's History of the Progressive Era and World War I by Page Smith. Covers the history of the United States from 1901 to 1923, focusing on the continuing struggle between capital and labor and the growing presence of America on the international scene. Cassette Book RC 23193.
Daily Life in the United States, 1920-1940: How Americans Lived Through the "Roaring Twenties" and the Great Depression by David E. Kyvig. Historian examines the daily experiences of ordinary Americans in the 1920s and 1930s, the decades between the two world wars. Describes the evolving modern society characterized by the rise of the automobile, electricity, radio, and cinema, as well as an increase in population and crime. 2002. Cassette Book RC 60528.
As We Saw The Thirties; Essays On Social And Political Movements edited by Rita James Simon. A series of lectures by prominent people of the 1930's, such as Norman Thomas, Earl Browder, A. J. Muste, and others. They reveal the climate of despair, depression, and political and social upheaval rampant during that period of American history. Braille Book BR 689.
The Proud Decades: America in War and in Peace, 1941-1960 by John Patrick Diggins. Retrospective survey of America's move from isolationism to world leadership, and how the process shaped our political, cultural, and social institutions. Cassette Book RC 30035.
The Fifties by David Halberstam. As the 1950s were the first decade immortalized by television, the author uses the images that appeared on home screens to support his perception that events made the decade far more rebellious than the benign period often portrayed. Challenging the myth of the "innocent" generation, Halberstam examines political, economic, and social highlights of the era, citing familiar experiences and famous people from Marilyn Monroe to Joseph McCarthy. Bestseller. Braille Book BR 9337. Cassette Book RC 35920.
The Sixties: Years Of Hope, Days Of Rage by Todd Gitlin. In this critical history and personal memoir, a Berkeley sociologist and former member of the New Left presents a well-documented account of sixties culture and politics. Focusing on the roots and growth of the white student youth movement, he examines such pivotal episodes as the SDS Port Huron convention of 1962, the Weathermen townhouse explosion, and the Kent State killings of 1970 along with legacies of the era, particularly the feminist and civil rights movements. 1987. Cassette Book RC 27435.
The Seventies: the Great Shift in American Culture, Society, and Politics by Bruce J. Schulman. Historian portrays life in the United States in the 1970s, and shows how the decade transformed American popular beliefs and cultural attitudes. Analyzes presidential politics, national policies, and the shift of economic power. Describes the many social changes including racial integration, the greying of America, and the women's movement. 2001. Cassette Book RC 54009.
The Worst Years of Our Lives: Irreverent Notes from a Decade of Greed by Barbara Ehrenreich. A collection of fifty political and social essays in which the author takes a look at the 1980s, "a decade of greed" and one in which Americans developed a new set of values. Taking the reader back to the high points of the eighties, the author discusses couch potatoes, the decline of work ethic, televangelism, the ERA, nuclear war, and the costs of a college education. Bestseller. Cassette Book RC 32155.
Sleepwalking Through History: America in the Reagan Years by Haynes Johnson. A Pulitzer-winning journalist examines the 1980s, when America's debt and reduced productivity threatened the country's power. He reviews Reagan's background and the people who promoted him, reports on the roles of key players in the Reagan administration, assesses responsibility for the country's loss of its competitive edge, and indicts the leaders who created a record number of scandals. Cassette Book RC 32046.
Restless Giant: the United States from Watergate to Bush v. Gore by James T. Patterson. Continues the narrative of American history, politics, society, and economics that ended with Richard Nixon's resignation in Grand Expectations (RC 43349). Concentrates on the subjects of race, "culture wars," and conservatism. Highlights the Reagan era and the Supreme Court case that determined the outcome of the 2000 presidential election. 2005. Cassette Book RC 62743. Digital Book DB 62743.
Dave Barry's History of the Millennium (So Far) by Dave Barry. A compilation of Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist's "Year in Review" columns for the years 2000-2006, supplemented with a "bonus" overview of the past millennium. He addresses terrorism, global warming, nuclear proliferation, reality television, and people walking around wearing cell-phone earpieces even when they're not talking on their phones. 2007. Cassette Book RC 65405. Digital Book DB 65405.