Scan barcode
A review by readlovegrow
Boom! Voices of the Sixties Personal Reflections on the '60s and Today by Tom Brokaw
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. It was about a time a few decades before I was born, but I recognized a lot of the pop culture references and some of the big-name politicians. I think my biggest take-away was when one of his interviewees said something along the lines of: "We all wanted a change, but the generation before us were too scared to stick their necks out and be the leaders we needed, so we had to figure it it out for ourselves." ---and so-- "The personal became political." Personal righteousness became the motivating force behind legislative action.
My second take-away was how some of them (being in their sixties/seventies at the time of the interviews) viewed the future. Some noting how divided the country was (this, in 2006?2007? - HA!) and how they feared it getting worse, but also hoped that something would bring the country back together (such as Senator Obama getting elected president). One man even said he thought removing the draft had only widened the gap between the military families and academic elitists. Some reflected that the lack of anti-war protest against the Iraq war (versus the Vietnam war) was due in part to "voluntary service" only affecting an inviable few (rather than country as a whole) and was seen as more "wasteful/unnecessary" than anything else.
And my last take-away was how pretty much all of the artists felt that the music/art/film "back then" used to actually *mean* something, but now its all about "money over message" --What eye-candy will make the most money?-- and all the popular books nowadays are all about making *yourself* happy with the "best" diet/job/house/partner/affirmations/hobbies, etc.
I think it's always been about that, a little, but still it is interesting to think about their broader perspectives in terms of seeing a country go from one extreme to another in just a short time.
My second take-away was how some of them (being in their sixties/seventies at the time of the interviews) viewed the future. Some noting how divided the country was (this, in 2006?2007? - HA!) and how they feared it getting worse, but also hoped that something would bring the country back together (such as Senator Obama getting elected president). One man even said he thought removing the draft had only widened the gap between the military families and academic elitists. Some reflected that the lack of anti-war protest against the Iraq war (versus the Vietnam war) was due in part to "voluntary service" only affecting an inviable few (rather than country as a whole) and was seen as more "wasteful/unnecessary" than anything else.
And my last take-away was how pretty much all of the artists felt that the music/art/film "back then" used to actually *mean* something, but now its all about "money over message" --What eye-candy will make the most money?-- and all the popular books nowadays are all about making *yourself* happy with the "best" diet/job/house/partner/affirmations/hobbies, etc.
I think it's always been about that, a little, but still it is interesting to think about their broader perspectives in terms of seeing a country go from one extreme to another in just a short time.