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 - BoomThe book was very interesting and a quick read. But it was also too long and was redundant at times. The use of pictures to show people discussed both in the sixties and as they are today was very effective. While the book was about the Boom generation Brokow spends quite a bit of time on people from his generation as well as writing about his own personal life. All in all the book provides a good incite into what was happening in the late 1960's and was worth the investment of time to read. Rating:  - pretentious hogwashWhat is it all of the sudden with all these books on the 1960's written by old, grizzled baby-boomers who look upon the 1960's as something revolutionary or innovative? It must be nostalgia, because the 1960's were neither revolutionary nor innovative. Sorry, but living through the depression, fighting in WW II, and constructing progressive social policies and organizational structures trumps a few riots, getting high at a muddy concert in New York, and driving around aimlessly in VW vans. And what has this generation of dim-wits left us? Crippling national debt, a crappy environment, government policies (and constitutions) that limit the rights of people based on religion and sexual orientation, and a reluctance to fund the education of the nation's youth (while paradoxically enjoying the benefits the higher incomes derived from society paying for their education). For revolutionary, more progressive, and innovative thought, please look to other generations. Haymarket, Bay View, and desegregating the military are the stuff of true social progressivism. Woodstock, a bunch of whiny, baked hippies rioting at a political convention, and the massive ingestion of vast quantities of LSD pale by comparison. A better title for this book would have been "whimper," because that is what the 60's will be remembered for in the long run. And where did it get us? If we got anywhere, it was not because of this generation. It was *in spite* of them. Rating:  - Ignore the negative reviews - this is as even as you can getI'm guessing that the negative comments came from people who are only happy when a book totally trashes everything liberal and glorifies everything conservative. That's not what this book is about, but it is about as even handed as one could attempt. As opposed to what some of the reviewers claim, it is not Tom Brokaw's opinion of the 60's, it is interviews with those that were active participants in the 60's. That's what makes it so engrossing. Some thought things worked, some thought things didn't. The players are neither glorified nor condemned, they are simply given an avenue to tell their side of the story. Slant to the left....hardly. Those interviewed are as evenly divided as you could have in order to give a balanced view of what happened. Need an example, one chapter has Bill Clinton, Newt Gingrich, George McGovern, Gary Hart, Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, Pat Buchanan and Hillary Clinton. Looks like four lefties and four righties to me. The whole book follows this pattern. You'll emerge with a mixed opinion, and that's probably closer to how things really were. Rating: - BUST!A more fitting rating would be a minus stars. A more fitting title would be "BUST! Great Democrats I Have Known". Tom Brokaw has managed to write about all the Democrats he has met since the 1960's. His glowing memories of them and how they shaped our culture made me want to puke! From the drug laced hippies to the tax and spend elected officials, Brokaw tries to make them look as though they were heroes and the saviors of the country. It is a slow, ponderous read that is better than any sleeping pill I have ever tried. After 140 pages, I had enough and have relegated it to the shelf. Brokaw shows his lack of knowledge in several places. One more memorable foul-up was adding the word Congressional in front of The Medal of Honor. Congress has nothing to do with it. Rating: - "Boom"The item arrived in near-perfect condition, and within a reasonable amount of time. The seller was helpful and professional in our email exchanges.
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