Time of Transition: The 70s

by Time Inc. (Editor)

A series of books chronicling our lives in powerful time capsules, from the dawn of the century -- when horses outnumbered cars 21 million to 8,000 -- to its close.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

168 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1998

Reviews

[Len Knighton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating a book is, for me, a combination of head and heart. That is probably true with most reviewers and raters but I suspect the dominant body part is reversed in my case. Having read articles on what traits are looked for in books, television programs, and motion pictures, I rarely apply any of those criteria to my ratings, consciously at least.
I have to admit that I don't remember much of what was covered in this Time-Life book. It was my first decade out of high school and so I probably didn't pay much attention to music and fashion trends. I did go to the movies on occasion and I watched television so most of those programs and films featured here I had seen. (I saw JAWS three times in the first two weeks of its initial release, each time viewing it with good friends who were seeing it for the first time. I had also read the book during the spring of 1975.) I was a bit surprised that there wasn't more written about AMERICAN GRAFITTI. I consider it to be, very arguably, the most influential motion picture of the decade, perhaps for even longer a period. What arose from this picture was a flood of nostalgia that resulted in the casting of oft-forgotten former stars of stage, screen, and television who were then seen by new fans watching THE LOVE BOAT, FANTASY ISLAND, and other prime time features. AMERICAN GRAFITTI also spawned HAPPY DAYS which produced new TV super characters, FONZIE (Henry Winkler), MORK (Robin Williams), and LAVERNE AND SHIRLEY (Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams).
Also, in the Sports section, the choice was made to picture the Rumble in the Jungle instead of the Thrilla in Manila. While the former's outcome was far more a surprise, the latter's sustained fury was something rarely seen in heavyweight boxing. It also inspired Sports Illustrated's Mark Kram to write one of the best articles ever to appear in that Time-Life publication.
All that being said, the decade of the 70's was, for me, a melting pot of jobs and towns that contributed little to my standard of living but greatly added to the spices that flavored my life during those ten years. Oddly, my heart does not cling to the decade's fabric and so my rating for the book is

Four stars waning

[Sue Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book quite by accident but decided to "go down memory lane" and read about the 1970s. As is true of most Time/Life books, this is a fact-based book on what life was like in the 70s. It covers tragedies such as the 913 that died under James Jones spell by drinking poisoned koolaid in South Africa.

Each short description of the 1970-1970 event is accompanied by a picture. Some are in black and white to accentuate what was available at that time. The book shows what was happening in the music world, what was going on in the United States, and even some of the world events. It served as a brief but good review of things I had forgotten. It would now serve as a good but concise history book for people who did not experience any of this on their own.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoying this series. Just quick bits of info but the parts that I would like to know more about I can read about later A nice refresher on info

[Dona · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must be on a history kick lately as this caught my eye during a recent trip to my library. It was fascinating reading about events that happened when I was in my 20’s …. And this book made me realize how oblivious I was to things going on outside my little world.

[robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rerun. Tube tops, Mark Spitz, a Jesus freak awaiting baptism in the ocean, Jane Fonda with her fist raised in a black power salute -- all in high quality photos that jump off the page.

[Jennifer Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent series, detailing life and highlighting notable historical events in the 20th century.

[Rosa]

So, far I am enjoying this book, this brings back memories of part of my childhood for that decade.