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8th out of 47 books
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Boom!: Voices of the Sixties Personal Reflections and Lessons for Today
by
Tom Brokaw
In The Greatest Generation, his landmark bestseller, Tom Brokaw eloquently evoked for America what it meant to come of age during the Great Depression and the Second World War. Now, in Boom!, one of America’s premier journalists gives us an epic portrait of another defining era in America as he brings to life the tumultuous Sixties, a fault line in American history. The vo...more
Hardcover, 400 pages
Published
November 6th 2007
by Random House
(first published January 1st 2007)
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A little lifestory confession: I was in high school from 1967 to 1971. Had I been 4 years older and in college during those years, I would have seen "the 60's" up close and personal. While I vividly remember those times, it was as a younger "hippie-wannabe" rather than as a participant in the events. Nevertheless...
I really enjoyed this book. It's not just a look back on the 60's, but Brokaw interviews many of the more interesting "movers and shakers"...more
I really enjoyed this book. It's not just a look back on the 60's, but Brokaw interviews many of the more interesting "movers and shakers"...more
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My first stab at Tom Brokaw’s writing came with his quick-read of a memoir, “A Long Way from Home”, which transported me to a time that I can only recall from stories told to me first-hand from my grandmother, born in South Dakota like Brokaw, and my father, who is about ten years junior to Brokaw. In this his second large-scale attempt to define an important American generation, Brokaw deftly weaves up-close and personal profiles of a multitude of American cultural and political icons – baby bo...more
Tom Brokaw returns to the well of generational stories for this document of the lives of a time much more difficult to characterize than the WWII generation, that of the 1960s. Brokaw doesn't take sides in the resulting 40-year cultural debate and wisely qualifies this dispassionate stance by saying that whatever side one falls on, the Sixties were a complex time of cultural change. Merely commenting on the significance of that change and acknowledging that history is still judging the Sixties l...more
Excellent book! If you're a Baby Boomer it will sound like your life. Mr. Brokaw has it all. Civil Rights, Vietnam, Women's Rights, the music and the sounds of the 60's and the 70's.
If you are a child of a Boomer, read it to understand your parents!
Like his book "The Greatest Generation", Mr. Brokaw has interviewed those who were at the forefront of the many movements of the 60's. He also offers his view of this generation. He was a young newsman during the time and j...more
If you are a child of a Boomer, read it to understand your parents!
Like his book "The Greatest Generation", Mr. Brokaw has interviewed those who were at the forefront of the many movements of the 60's. He also offers his view of this generation. He was a young newsman during the time and j...more
Really good overview of those who influenced and were influenced by the events of the sixties. Brokaw gives an effective survey of many different individuals and personalities, avoiding the polarized views of the decade, and rather showing the complexities of a rather pivotal ten years. And written in an engaging style, weaving his own personal experience in and out of the profiles. My only complaint is that the book focuses more on the famous and less on ordinary people. I would have liked to s...more
As one born in the 80’s, I welcomed this opportunity to gain a broad perspective of the 60’s. I listened to the audiobook, which is skillfully narrated by Brokaw himself.
Brokaw guides the narrative by introducing many individuals who lived during the period. Brokaw’s extensive interviews and connections make for intriguing listening.
At times, Brokaw recounts the events as they occurred in the 60’s. Other times, he inserts interviews from people who provide a retroactive...more
Brokaw guides the narrative by introducing many individuals who lived during the period. Brokaw’s extensive interviews and connections make for intriguing listening.
At times, Brokaw recounts the events as they occurred in the 60’s. Other times, he inserts interviews from people who provide a retroactive...more
Katrina
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Those born from 1940-1970
Recommended to Katrina by:
Aram Public Library Book Discussion
Shelves:
adult,
non-fiction
Good overview of those who influenced and were influenced by the events of the sixties. Brokaw gives an effective survey of many different individuals and personalities, avoiding the polarized views of the decade, and rather showing the complexities of a rather pivotal ten years. The result is a whole lot of anecdotes, without much deep analysis. Written in an engaging style, weaving his own personal experience in and out of the profiles. One complaint is that the book focuses more on the famo...more
Not light summer reading, but for those of us who lived through the 1960's a very interesting perspective from celebreties, politicians, white house staffers and appointees, musicians and those in the media and military. Naturally, comparisons were made between the Vietnam War and the Iraq war; causes, affects, plans, reactions. Unanswered questions: why did the Vietnam War stimulate the young to action (activism) but the Iraq War has no such ground swell? What were the concrete results of the...more
Jackie "the Librarian"
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
news groupies
Shelves:
non-fiction
Tom Brokaw talks to people he knows from the 60's and groups them into different sections - women's movement, Vietnam, politics, etc. The result is a whole lot of anecdotes, without much deep analysis. I enjoyed meeting all of Tom Brokaw's friends, and found myself quite envious of his social life! I kind of wanted more pictures, more info on the more interesting personalities, and definitely a few more conclusions.
The book started well, and there were interesting tidbits throughout. Tom Brokaw has access to the movers and shakers of the 60's. He reconnects with people whom he interviewed during more turbulent times to discuss where they are now and what they make of it all. It's an interesting premise, but it ultimately falls short. First, at between 600 and 700 pages, it's just too long. I got tired of it before it ended. Secondly, when you close the book, you really don't know much more than you d...more
I enjoyed Boom! as much as The Greatest Generation, but in quite a different way. The Greatest Generation taught me about a time period that my grandparents lived through, inspiring me because of the unity of a nation. The events in Boom! took place during the first 10 years of my life, so I grew up knowing of them, but not necessarily a lot about them. Because of my interest in 60's music and all that I've read about it, I feel like I knew pieces of the picture of that decade; the music of t...more
A very enjoyable book which brought back and solidified vague recollections from my teenage and early adult years. Brokaw describes his purpose as creating a virtual reunion of people from the "60s", which he dates from the assassination of President Kennedy to the resignation of President Nixon, with the critical moments occurring in 1968. While many of the people I met for the first time in this book, many were people whom I had not heard of in years, and others who are in the news t...more
As my rating indicates, I really enjoyed this book. I suppose that much of my appreciation stems from the fact that I was a college and graduate student during the sixties and thus experienced or witnessed many of the things the people in this book recount. It was interesting to see where my perceptions and memories paralleled or differed from those told about here. Although most of the people Brokaw interviews are prominent in one way or another--singers, politicians, businessmen, etc.--he d...more
I WILL finish this book, just not right now. Right now I'm on break from school and I really just want to read some light and fun material. So far the book has been very interesting just a bit heavy at the moment.
Richard Katz
added it
I am amazed at how little I liked this book. I love the topic. I fancy myself a would-be historian (gone bad), and I heard so much good about The Greatest Generation, Brokaw's other book. This book managed to shed virtually no light whatsoever on the 60s. Either its roots in American cuture and politics or its deeper lessons and meaning for contemporary society. It is really a series of rather insipid snippets (she's a wee sprite of a girl, one passage says) of the famous and near famous th...more
This helped me learn more about an era I've always been curious about. I was born in the mid-seventies and missed this important epoch in American history. Brokaw explores the civil rights struggles, feminism, the sexual revolution, the war in Vietnam, and America's disillusionment with its political leaders. Learning about the Sixties through interviews with some of its key figures was helpful. Brokaw also tied the Sixties into the current political climate. This book was published right b...more
Wars, riots, assassinations, a sexual revolution, a civil rights movement, Women’s Lib and a really cool sound-track: What’s not to love about the ’60s? Tom Brokaw’s excellent book, ‘Boom! Voices of the Sixties,’ is a Sociology-101 diamond mine: A comprehensive collection of thought provoking, well written, personal vignettes of first-hand experiences. An oral history of an incredible time.
There’s plenty to ruminate and reminisce about in its 612 pages. Especially for those of...more
There’s plenty to ruminate and reminisce about in its 612 pages. Especially for those of...more
Instead of Boom!, this book should have been called Now!. I picked up this book after looking at it in bookstores for almost two years. I loved Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation, so I said, "Why not?" This book I didn't like as much, however, because it was a little misleading. Not as much about the sixties, as much as what people from the sixties are doing now. I thought this would be a nice history book about the decade from 1960 to 1969. The author even has THAT different, saying...more
This book was absolutely fascinating. It is a bit lengthy, but it was well worth every hour spent reading it. I learned so much about the sixties and our country during that time and the impact that it has had on our political climate today. It covers topics from JFK's assassination, the Vietnam war, drugs, women's rights, civil rights, MLK's assassination, Bobby Kennedy's assassination, music and Watergate and so much more.
What made the book so great was that Brokaw acknowledges fr...more
What made the book so great was that Brokaw acknowledges fr...more
Alspilsbury
added it
Recommends it for:
Anyone who remembers the Sixties, or anyone who doesn't.
"If you rememer the sixties, you weren't really there" ain't neccesarilly so.
Brokaw did hundreds of interviews with survivors of the sixties. Many of the names, and incidents recounted,will be well known to to anyone born before 1960, and some names not so familiar, but nevertheless had impact then as well as now.
The first part of the book breaks the different areas of conflict that hit the streets, Civil Rights, poitics, the Vietnam War, Womens Movement, Rock ...more
Brokaw did hundreds of interviews with survivors of the sixties. Many of the names, and incidents recounted,will be well known to to anyone born before 1960, and some names not so familiar, but nevertheless had impact then as well as now.
The first part of the book breaks the different areas of conflict that hit the streets, Civil Rights, poitics, the Vietnam War, Womens Movement, Rock ...more
Brokaw's "virtual reunion" of the famous and not-so-famous figures from the "class of 68" (which he posits as the height of the formative period for the 60s generation) may be a pleasant stroll down memory lane for those who lived through the decade, but fails to provide much in the way of deep insight into the meaning of this turbulent period in American history. Brokaw strikes me as a decent, thoughtful guy and I was hopeful there would be something more here than the pred...more
I loved Brokaw's books on The Greatest Generation, and was expecting this book about the sixties to be like it-- personal experiences of those who lived through it. And it was, somewhat, except they were mainly politicians and public figures, and their opinion about the politics of the time. Since I was so young when it was going on I didn't understand the significance of it all at the time, so this was a good review. My favorite part was James Taylor's take on the whole thing... love him!
Having read "The Greatest Generation" by Brokaw, I expected the same kind of experience. In his last book, since he hadn't lived that era, he more faithfully represented the essence of the stories he captured from members of "The Greatest Generation". Boom! was much more detailed (at times excruciatingly) and too much of how Brokaw personally lived and experienced the 60's and 70's. It was almost an autobiography.
Brokaw describes this one as being like a high school reunion. Person's famous and lesser known reflect on what they believe the influence of the 60s has been. Their specific role during the time period is also described. Entertainers, veterans, journalist and business leaders are featured. Brokaw does a great job of being objective and portraying a diverse cross section of the population.
A reasonably interesting memoir from a man who was in all the right places, but typically as an observer, which is what a journalist of his generation saw himself as. But there are journalstic memoirs that are far more interesting than this - see Ben Bradlee or even Dan Rather, for example. Still, a fun read and worth a few hours if you're reading list isn't that backed up.
Good read, although not as interesting as The Greatest Generation. Didn't get down to stories of the common man as much as that book did, so that the resulting bias is more liberal that I expected from a man like Brokaw, who as a journalist is purportedly more objective and given all that the blessings that he has inherited and enjoyed from his conservative midwestern roots.
Alan
added it
Boom looks at the 60's through the eyes of the participants. Anti-war activists, feminists, civil rights activists, budding young Republicans, combat vets and some who went to Canada, authors, musicians and politicians weigh in on what happened and what the fallout from those turbulent years has led to. I found it very interesting and worth the time.
Having read most of Brokaws previous books, I waited anxiously for this one to come across my reading stand. I was growing up during thisera that defined our nation. As a fallen away Catholic the 1960s certainly caused that institution to take a look at itself. Brokaw fairly shows the many diverse factors at play during this era. I reccomend the book.
Tom Brokaw’s book Boom about the sixties demonstrates once again his skill as a writer. He doesn’t let his own opinions drown out the diversity of the people who made their mark at that complicated time in our history and in my life. Being born in 1950, I am a Boomer and felt he captured so much of what it was like in that decade, when the young generation challenged the accepted fundamentals and made their own impact on history. He spends as much time on the glaring mistakes as on what they...more
Tom Brokaw lived through the 60s and... he remembers them. So do all of the people he interviews for this personal history of the era. Good thing, too. Because most of these people not only experienced the Boom! of change, they instigated or participated in it.
This may not be a complete picture of 'The 60s', but it's a good survey. And because it's based on and structured around personal reflections, the events of the decade come alive in a better way than a mere history might have ...more
This may not be a complete picture of 'The 60s', but it's a good survey. And because it's based on and structured around personal reflections, the events of the decade come alive in a better way than a mere history might have ...more
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Thomas John Brokaw is an American television journalist and author, previously working on regularly scheduled news documentaries for the NBC television network, and is the former NBC News anchorman and managing editor of the program NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw. His last broadcast as anchorman was on December 1, 2004, succeeded by Brian Williams in a carefully planned transition. In the later ...more
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