The Age of Great Dreams: America in the 1960s (American Century Series) [Paperback]

David Farber (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0809015676 | ISBN-13: 978-0809015672 | Publication Date: April 1, 1994 | Edition: 1

In this book, David Farber grounds our understanding of the extraordinary history of the 1960s by linking the events of that era to our country's grand projects of previous decades. Farber's important study, based on years of research in archives and oral histories as well as in historical literature, explores Vietnam, the Civil Rights Act, the War on Poverty, the entertainment business, the drug culture, and much more.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Farber ( Chicago '68 ) writes that "with President Kennedy's death, Americans confronted a grim reality: not all of America's possibilities were good." Following the country's unprecedented prosperity and world influence after WW II, the '60s were marked by emerging violence and discontent--the Watts riots, brutal political killings--the fearsome responses to shattered hopes. Farber sketches an arresting picture of a national midlife crisis recorded and disseminated in part by an infectious TV culture that, for the first time, provided the majority of Americans with their news, and hit an unlikely nerve with the ever popular story of a poor family making good-- The Beverly Hillbillies . Beatniks, Beatles, Timothy Leary and marijuana busts shared prime time with Vietnam, Mario Salvio's Free Speech movement, Black Power and the landmark Civil Rights Act (Lyndon Johnson reportedly said to segregationist Sen. Richard Russell, "get out of my way. I'm going to run over you"). The great dreams of the '60s, like Johnson's Great Society, collided with the explosive realities. With deft overview, Farber explores the many intertwined movements, including Kennedy's strident anti-communist election campaign that later contributed to his committing combat troops in Vietnam. Although the complex arts and letters get short shrift in favor of pop culture, and a sense of pastiche is inevitable, readers who lived through the '60s--or wish they did--will relish this work.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In this reasoned and readable survey of the momentous social and political events of the 1960s, historian Farber sympathetically looks at this period without rose-colored glasses, critically analyzing it without assigning blame. He treats the decade as a critical period of change--of creativity and chaos--that grew out of an increasingly consumer-oriented post-World War II, society reaching out to absorb all Americans. The civil rights revolution, the Vietnam War, the urban riots, the rise of rock music, the decade's rise and fall of the Great Society, and the assassinations are all woven together masterfully in a historical narrative that successfully communicates the era's zeitgeist. Especially interesting is Farber's final chapter explaning how the 1970s and the beginning of the Reagan era evolved from the burned-out fragments of the 1960s. A synthesis of late 20th-century American political and social history against which future books on the decade will be measured.
- Jack Forman, Mesa Coll. Lib., San Diego
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Hill and Wang; 1 edition (April 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809015676
• ISBN-13: 978-0809015672
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #51,059 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars RATIONAL PERSPECTIVES ON A TURBULENT ERA, March 16, 2000

By 

Eric H. Roth "English teacher/conversationali... (Venice Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Age of Great Dreams: America in the 1960s (American Century Series) (Paperback)

How can college students today understand the passions, complexities, and puzzles of the 1960s? This lucid and accessible survey illuminates the connections between the emerging consumer culture, social movements, and political tensions from 1960-1974. Written by a Barnard College historian for undergraduate students, this multi-dimensional shows the often conflicting factors and personalities behind critical events from Kennedy's election and the Cuban Missile Crisis to sit-in demonstrations and assassinations (JFK, Martin Luther King, RFK) and the escalating Vietnam War. Avoiding the glib and superficial conclusions that mar too many books on the 60s', this informative synthesis combines insider memoirs, oral histories, popular TV shows and census data in an engaging account. An excellent selection for American Studies, Cultural Studies, and modern American History courses.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Overview of the 1960's, May 7, 2002

By 

Jeffrey Leach (Omaha, NE USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Age of Great Dreams: America in the 1960s (American Century Series) (Paperback)

The age of great dreams turned into the age of great nightmares, which America has still not awakened from. David Farber shows us where it all began in his history of the 1960's. The back cover says Farber teaches history at the University of New Mexico and is also the author of some other books on the 1960's, specifically "Chicago '68." I have not read any of his other books, but this one is well written and provides a good overview of the turbulent age of rebellion.

Farber starts his book with a quick overview of the 1950's, essential for studying the 1960's. Farber shows how economic, social and political conditions laid the groundwork for the 1960's. Some of the conditions of the 1950's fairly well known: the baby boom and suburban growth were the fuel for the fire in the 1960's. Farber also writes about the conditions of blacks in the 1950's, as well as the growing omnipresence of television and advertising. Farber titled this chapter, "Good Times," but many problems lay under the surface, ready to explode at the slightest spark.

The rest of the book deals with almost every aspect of the 1960's. From Kennedy to Nixon, Farber misses few opportunities to bring to light both the good and the bad. He covers everything from LSD to the Bay of Pigs, from SDS to the sit-ins. His major theme is how the 1960's started out with Kennedy's vision of a "New Frontier," where anything seemed possible for an America rich in resources. By the end of the book, Farber shows the dawning realization that it can't all be done, that possibilities are not limitless. It took a mess of assassinations, a spoiled generation of brats, a huge war, and the Great Society programs of LBJ to show America that there were limits on what the country could do.

This is a good book that will certainly introduce anyone who reads it to the major themes of the 1960's. Focusing on the 1960's is important because it helps us forget about the 1970's, with pet rocks and the clothes my Mom made me wear predominating the memories of that decade. This was the main book for the class I took on the 1960's, and it was a good choice.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fine book, but not a good text for lower-division courses, November 29, 2006

By 

Daniel Christensen "early modern historian" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Age of Great Dreams: America in the 1960s (American Century Series) (Paperback)

What is done well: Farber brings analysis to the events and issues that drive the '60s, arguing for example that the affluence of the 1950s, together with the exploding marketplace of products, led to a new marketplace of ideas and a willingness for the new youth culture to try new things and toy with new ideas. Farber covers most of the key players and issues well, from the civil rights movement to Vietnam. He also rightly dips in the 1970s to finish the long decade, covering Watergate briefly.

What is not done well: He omits or is too brief on certain topics that should be covered in this book: Rosa Parks, My Lai, Woodstock, and the new music culture of the '60s youth. Compare this book to Terry Anderson's shorter and more lively book The Sixties, and you'll find the latter book is a better introductory textbook.