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The Odyssey

by Homer

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Jun 22, 2026 09:15AM

Misty is currently reading

The Fifties

by David Halberstam

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Reading for the 3rd time

read in January 2011

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Misty said: " This book is nothing short of amazing to me - an epic adventure ride into a decade that was fascinating politically, socially, and culturally. The 60s get all the attention, but Halberstam wrote this book to show how the seeds of the 60s were planted This book is nothing short of amazing to me - an epic adventure ride into a decade that was fascinating politically, socially, and culturally. The 60s get all the attention, but Halberstam wrote this book to show how the seeds of the 60s were planted in the 50s.

What makes the 50s even more powerful, as shown by Halberstam, is the way the revolutionary spirit of the decade was glossed over by, or even a reaction to, the extreme conventiality of the decade. The fifties is a decade of contradictions - of imaginations taking flight, of tears hidden by a placid exterior.

The structure is a big part of the reason why the book is so effective. Each chapter covers a different topic, each of which could be covered in its own book. Topics range from topics that you would expect from a book on the 50s -- like McCarthyism or Elvis or Rosa Parks -- to more unexpected, esoteric subjects that won't be in your high school history books but yet form the fabric of the decade -- like the founding of McDonald's, the creation of Levittown and the modern suburb, and the quiz show scandal.

Chapters are numbered but have no titles. There is no table of contents. This means that you don't know what you will read about next. Halberstam surprises you with his choice for how chapters flow one into another, as he explores different aspects of the same theme. A chapter on House hearings on organized crime is followed by a chapter on Lucy and Desi (because they both involve television). Chapters themselves take surprising turns. You start the chapter thinking it's about one thing, and then you learn it's about something else altogether.

As a result, the book really is an adventure -- a whirlwind tour through a whirlwind decade. You don't know what you will learn next, but it's more likely than not going to be interesting. Some chapters are boring and harder to get through, but that is too be expected, since he covers so many topics that you are bound to not be interested in everything. The book picks up considerable steam at the end, as the rate of change and momentum increases.

Halberstam is a genius at creating narrative arcs in his writing, giving you intimate knowledge of his subjects together with a broader view on why it is an important part of the decade. He writes a sad portrait of Mrs Nixon that says so much about her as a person, the struggle of women during the decade, and the tragedy of her husband. The chapter on the Beat poets is one of my favorite pieces of nonfiction writing ever. By the end of the chapter, I was clutching the book with white knuckles, overtaken by the drama of the chapter's climax (the reading of Howl in the City Lights bookstore).

Don't let the length intimidate you, because you can read it one chapter at a time. I think I read this book over 1-1/2 years.

This book makes me so sad that David Halberstam is dead and that we won't get more writing from him. I've also read the Best and the Brightest, and his passion for his subjects shines through. I'm excited to read more of his work! ...more "

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(page 442 of 848)
— Apr 30, 2010 09:19PM

Jan 29, 2011 09:30PM · see review