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The American Dream: The 50s
Examines the politics, suburbia, automobiles, art and entertainment, cold war, television, and sports of the 1950s.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1997
70 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 1, 2021
I think we look back on the 50s as 'happy days' not just because of the show, but because it was the beginning of a golden prosperity for people who had lived through the Depression and World War II. The good times were not world-wide, or inclusive, and alas, appear to be in decline, but it imbues the era with permanent sunshine for North America. This Time-Life trip down memory lane is what you would expect it to be if you know much about the 50s: pictures of Marilyn, and Lucille Ball, a paean to early television, the fight for civil rights and a glowing tribute to early consumerism. The burgeoning suburbs were a huge part of the story, with shining new cars in the driveway.
Of course it was not all picture-perfect: the Cold War loomed cast shadows over otherwise happy times. It's hard to believe that they taught kids to duck under desks to protect themselves from a nuclear blast, but I guess that naiveté is part of the charm. Joe McCarthy was the villain of the book - a vicious drunkard who accused people of being Communists and traitors with no evidence. It took awhile for America to turn against this 'patriot' but they finally did. He died sad and lonely at 48 (of alcoholism, which should give you an idea of how hard he hit the bottle).
The book hits the highs and lows of the period, and gives a good general view of what was important in North America in typical Time-Life fashion
Of course it was not all picture-perfect: the Cold War loomed cast shadows over otherwise happy times. It's hard to believe that they taught kids to duck under desks to protect themselves from a nuclear blast, but I guess that naiveté is part of the charm. Joe McCarthy was the villain of the book - a vicious drunkard who accused people of being Communists and traitors with no evidence. It took awhile for America to turn against this 'patriot' but they finally did. He died sad and lonely at 48 (of alcoholism, which should give you an idea of how hard he hit the bottle).
The book hits the highs and lows of the period, and gives a good general view of what was important in North America in typical Time-Life fashion
March 8, 2026
This was a great book for me to read, as I was born in 1953, and taught a class on the 50's when I was teaching middle school history.
The photography was wonderful, as were the other illustrations.
I remember so many of the things that are in here...nostalgic for me.
Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Grace Kelly (princess), Jackie Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr.,
J. Robert Oppenheimer leading the development of the Atomic Bomb, the Hydrogen Bomb,
Lionel Trains, Mr. Potato Head, The Cat in the Hat, Play-Doh, Hula Hoops, Erector Sets, Silly Putty
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg being sentenced to the Electric Chair for espionage
the Soviets, China, Korean War
Fallout Shelters, "Duck and Cover", Khrushchev, Sputnik, NASA
Brown versus the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, Thurgood Marshall, Rosa Parks, Little Rock, Arkansas
Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Perry Como, Jackie Gleason, Desi and Lucy Arnez, Elizabeth Taylor, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Chuck Barry, Ed Sullivan, Perry Mason, Alfred Hitchcock, Lassie, Captain Kangaroo, Mouseketeers, Jackie Robinson, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, "Rocky", Arnold Palmer, Althea Gibson
If you were a kid living in the 50's you know these names. If you are a student of history you know these names and more. This is a great "time trip" book, so if you are curious about the 50's you will enjoy this book.
The photography was wonderful, as were the other illustrations.
I remember so many of the things that are in here...nostalgic for me.
Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Grace Kelly (princess), Jackie Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr.,
J. Robert Oppenheimer leading the development of the Atomic Bomb, the Hydrogen Bomb,
Lionel Trains, Mr. Potato Head, The Cat in the Hat, Play-Doh, Hula Hoops, Erector Sets, Silly Putty
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg being sentenced to the Electric Chair for espionage
the Soviets, China, Korean War
Fallout Shelters, "Duck and Cover", Khrushchev, Sputnik, NASA
Brown versus the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, Thurgood Marshall, Rosa Parks, Little Rock, Arkansas
Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Perry Como, Jackie Gleason, Desi and Lucy Arnez, Elizabeth Taylor, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Chuck Barry, Ed Sullivan, Perry Mason, Alfred Hitchcock, Lassie, Captain Kangaroo, Mouseketeers, Jackie Robinson, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, "Rocky", Arnold Palmer, Althea Gibson
If you were a kid living in the 50's you know these names. If you are a student of history you know these names and more. This is a great "time trip" book, so if you are curious about the 50's you will enjoy this book.
August 3, 2025
Another wonderful book by Time-Life. I have read every book in this series through the decade of the Fifties, which is the first decade I lived through. I was looking for some particular highlights I remembered and was not disappointed. I did pick out two errors, however. The first was the use of the contraction "it's" instead of "its." The other was in the caption of the picture of Alan Ameche scoring the winning touchdown in the 1958 NFL Championship Game. The caption read that the play was on fourth down and one; it was third down and goal. Nevertheless,
Five stars
Five stars
June 1, 2019
This book presents an accurate portrayal of what the 1950s were really like in America. From its "Happy Days" to the Racism & Equality and everything in between, Time-Life Books along with author Richard B. Stolley teamed up to create a wonderful book.
March 8, 2011
Born in 1952, this book was a trip down memory lane for me. The 50's were a cookie cutter time of unrealistic idealism.
After WWII, the economy was booming, and so were the birth rates. The men in gray flannel suits left to work a 10-12 hour day while at home their lovely wives with beauty parlor smiles and permed hair wore barbie doll high heels when making jello salad.
The suburban driveway contained a 1957 Bel Air Parisian Blue colored Chevrolet or a 1951 Nash Rambler. Perhaps the suburban neighbor two doors down had a pink Ford Thunderbird, and the lucky guy next door might own a 1953 Kaiser Manhattan.
While the man ruled the house, Ike ran the nation as Richard Nixon verbally spared with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev who threatened to bury the US.
As the Soviets placed the worlds first artificial satellite in space, the tiny 184 pound Sputnik heralded a fast- paced race for US power both in the sky and on the land.
While the golden age of TV brought yet more unrealistic expectations right into the living room, Ricky Ricardo and his spunky wife Lucy made us laugh, helping us to forget that as we watched TV, a contractor was building a fall out shelter in the back yard.
While children, in fear of nuclear bombs, ducked and covered under their school desks, when they arrived home either a spam/baked bean casserole, or a Kraft macaroni dinner awaited them after they sat, eyes glued, to the small black and white box reflecting the shows of The Mighty Mouse Playhouse, Howdy Doody, My Friend Flika or Captain Kangaroo.
In the kitchen mom brewed Red Rose tea, licked her S&H green stamps and ordered her latest Tupperware container.
In the 1950's, the social fabric began to change as a mere five years after WWII we became embroiled in another foreign war, this time in Korea. As the Cold War with the Soviet Union escalated, the racial tensions in America, so long at a boiling point, erupted with a fury.
The illusion of a bright shining land of plenty came apart as blacks began to demonstrate and protest to gain what what rightfully theirs, ie the right to attend school, the right to a college education, the right to freedom and the right to drink out of the same fountain as the white !
The illusion that the women's place was in the kitchen, that the black person had a place as long as it was standing in the back of the line and that all power was in the hands of the white man was about to shatter as the 1950's hypocrisy set the foundation for the turbulent 60's and 70's.
After WWII, the economy was booming, and so were the birth rates. The men in gray flannel suits left to work a 10-12 hour day while at home their lovely wives with beauty parlor smiles and permed hair wore barbie doll high heels when making jello salad.
The suburban driveway contained a 1957 Bel Air Parisian Blue colored Chevrolet or a 1951 Nash Rambler. Perhaps the suburban neighbor two doors down had a pink Ford Thunderbird, and the lucky guy next door might own a 1953 Kaiser Manhattan.
While the man ruled the house, Ike ran the nation as Richard Nixon verbally spared with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev who threatened to bury the US.
As the Soviets placed the worlds first artificial satellite in space, the tiny 184 pound Sputnik heralded a fast- paced race for US power both in the sky and on the land.
While the golden age of TV brought yet more unrealistic expectations right into the living room, Ricky Ricardo and his spunky wife Lucy made us laugh, helping us to forget that as we watched TV, a contractor was building a fall out shelter in the back yard.
While children, in fear of nuclear bombs, ducked and covered under their school desks, when they arrived home either a spam/baked bean casserole, or a Kraft macaroni dinner awaited them after they sat, eyes glued, to the small black and white box reflecting the shows of The Mighty Mouse Playhouse, Howdy Doody, My Friend Flika or Captain Kangaroo.
In the kitchen mom brewed Red Rose tea, licked her S&H green stamps and ordered her latest Tupperware container.
In the 1950's, the social fabric began to change as a mere five years after WWII we became embroiled in another foreign war, this time in Korea. As the Cold War with the Soviet Union escalated, the racial tensions in America, so long at a boiling point, erupted with a fury.
The illusion of a bright shining land of plenty came apart as blacks began to demonstrate and protest to gain what what rightfully theirs, ie the right to attend school, the right to a college education, the right to freedom and the right to drink out of the same fountain as the white !
The illusion that the women's place was in the kitchen, that the black person had a place as long as it was standing in the back of the line and that all power was in the hands of the white man was about to shatter as the 1950's hypocrisy set the foundation for the turbulent 60's and 70's.
May 9, 2021
My only complaint is that this book isn't longer, because I'm fascinated with the '50s and I want to read as much about it as I can. But the book does feature a lot of information, complete with some great photographs.
October 9, 2007
It gave me an idea of how the 50's were.
February 19, 2013
The American Dream: The 50s provides a neat insight to how life was in America in the 1950s. It was enjoyable and highly entertaining.
July 23, 2016
This is an excellent series, detailing life and highlighting notable historical events in the 20th century.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews