100 Days: How Four Events in 1969 Shaped America

by Harlan Lebo

Some events that transform a nation are frozen in time. Others pass with little public awareness, and we only appreciate their momentous nature long after they occur. Regardless, these events are few and—almost always—far between. But in 1969, four such events took place within the span of only 100 days. In this book, cultural historian Harlan Lebo looks back at the first moon landing, the Manson family murders, Woodstock, and the birth of the Internet to tell the story of how each event shaped the nation and how we perceive ourselves. Loaded with captivating anecdotes and insights based on extensive interviews with eyewitnesses and participants, to provide historical insight and contemporary context, 100 Days will fascinate readers who seek a deeper appreciation of how four seemingly unrelated events shaped America’s emergence as the nation we have become.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

368 pages, Hardcover

Published June 28, 2019

Reviews

[BookTrib.com]

How did humanity arrive at the point where we could buy diapers from the palm of our hand? When did it become normal for weapons of mass destruction to loom over conversations between nations? Why do Presidential candidates disagree so strongly on the environment and the rights of disadvantaged people?

Harlan Lebo provides some answers to these questions in his book 100 Days: How Four Events in 1969 Shaped America (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers) through focusing on 100 days of one of the most tumultuous years of American history. Lebo details four key events: the Apollo 11 mission, the still-sickening Manson murders, the Woodstock Festival of Music and the UCLA and Stanford computer experiment. Each is painstakingly crafted using eye-witness accounts.

Just as Neil Armstrong rocketed towards the moon in July of 1969, Lebo boldly bursts through the past into the present. The space race between the Soviet Union and the United States forever marked the moon. Equally important, the bitter competition would give birth to new research centers across the country.

August showcased both the ideal and malignant sides of human nature. Hippies and free lovers descended upon Bethel, NY for the Woodstock Music Festival. However, these partiers danced in the shadow of tragedy. Only a week before, Charles Manson and his cult had murdered five people. Woodstock collectively offered redemption, as if the 400,000 voices singing in unison could atone for violence and societal strife. While the waning days of the 1960s are known today for their immense coexistence and sharing of resources, they were simultaneously a time of unexpected terror.

The rest of the review: https://booktrib.com/2019/07/what-cou...

[Shauna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The research and deliverance of the multiple aspects of 1969 were impeccable. I learned minute details about the four historic events that started in 1969–space travel, the Manson family, Woodstock and computers. It was an odd book in that the four subjects didn’t really transition smoothly or correlate, but they were all still fascinating. I liked this oddly formatted book.

[Steve Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cool concept highlighting a portion of a dynamic year. Lebo is concise, his information is well-organized and interesting. This lands in my favorite time period in American history, so I found the book quite enjoyable. Perhaps got the most out of the section about the internet, which I've never studied because I've always assumed I lived it.

[Chy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed bag with 2 chapters being of interest to me and the other 2 not so much.

The first part covers the space race and the moon landing and is filled with A LOT of information and while it’s in-depth and not of huge interest to me I give kudos to the author for the writing not being dry. I felt after finishing this chapter that I learned a lot, but sadly, still doesn’t hold my interest as a subject.

The second part covers the Manson murders. Not as in depth as the first part I think this works better if you’re either looking for a quick and basic overview of the murders or you don’t know anything about them because the information isn’t new if you’re at all familiar with the case.

The third part covers Woodstock and again, it’s a short chapter that covers just the basics and works better if you aren’t familiar with the events.

The fourth part covers the internet and with this we get brought up to more of the present timeline with topics being covered such as Amazon and streaming websites.

The book finishes with a tidy conclusion that checks in on the aftermath of these 4 historic events.

Overall I found the writing to be well done, but as I was more interested in the Manson and Woodstock chapters I was a bit disappointed by how short they were compared to the other chapters. I’d still recommend this to readers interested in history or that particular era.

[April Jones]

I was fascinated to learn details behind the race to the moon. I had been 2 months old or so, and my mother says she propped me up in front of the TV so that I could later say that I watched the moon landing, but other than the names of the astronauts, I really knew nothing about it! I also had known almost nothing about Charles Manson...I thought he was a serial killer, and I guess morally he probably is, but not technically so. The culture that helped to create him and his gang also led to Woodstock, another iconic event that I was pretty much ignorant about. And while all of this was going on, the internet was being born. I didn't use a computer until 1983, and I don't think I used the internet until '88 or so. No clue that it had been in existence for basically my whole life already! And this book was really only looking at a 100-day period during 1969, not even the entire year! Although the backstory to everything preceeded 1969, so it was really a good history lesson.

[Roberta Westwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

I tried

Conceptually, this book works. On the other hand, if you already know a lot about the 4 topics covered, there really isn’t anything new said here. I am giving up, after listening to the space section: it’s good, but I knew all this. No sense in me listening to the rest. If you haven’t studied all the subjects, then it will probably be a good listen for you.

[John Machata · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not without interest. I felt that the part devoted to Charles Manson misplaced. Computers, Space Race and Woodstock of greater merit.

[D · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was way too long and didn't really have a thesis? But the information was interesting, at least the space stuff.