Long Time Gone: Sixties America Then and Now (Viewpoints on American Culture) [Paperback]

Alexander Bloom (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 3, 2001 | ISBN-10: 0195125150 | ISBN-13: 978-0195125153

With remarkable speed, the Sixties have gone from lived history to mythology. They remain alive in our culture in a manner different from any previous era. At the dawn of a new century, we are still debating the issues that emerged during that decade, still living in the conscious aftermath of its events and transformations.
This collection looks back at the Sixties, attempting to understand the issues of the day on their own terms and to think about their meanings in today's world. Alexander Bloom has gathered ten original essays, each of which explores the gulf between history and myth regarding a central characteristic of the Sixties. Topics covered include civil rights, the student movement and the New Left, the Vietnam War, the antiwar movement, gay rights, the counterculture, and the women's movement.
Long Time Gone dispels myths about the Sixties and constructs an accurate vision of the past and an understanding of its impact on the modern world. It is an invaluable resource for anyone seeking deeper knowledge of this incredible decade and its continuing influence on American culture.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The most informative and inspirational collection of essays on the Sixties to date, Long Time Gone is as persuasive as it is provocative. Scholars and undergraduates alike will enjoy as they learn, and be touched as they encounter sparkling insights."--Harvard Sitkoff, University of New Hampshire

"Read This Book! Before you pick it up, you'll wonder if it is possible to say anything new about the 1960s. When you put it down, you'll marvel at the freshness and originality of what you have read--by scholars, journalists, and activists."--Daniel Horowitz, Smith College, and author of Betty Friedan and the Making of The Feminine Mystique

"A volume that faculty teaching undergraduate courses on the sixties would find valuable."--H-Net

"It may be a 'long time gone,' but Americans are still living with the legacy of the 1960s. In this wonderful collection, we find the voices of some of the most noted participants, scholars and observers of this tumultuous era. At a time when right-wing politicians seek to discredit everything and everyone associated with the Sixties, these thoughtful essays remind us what every American should know: that the nation is a better, more just, more open democracy as a result of the political struggles and personal sacrifices, as well as the cultural vitality, that took place during those tumultuous years."-- Elaine Tyler May, University of Minnesota and author of Homeward Bound: American Families in the Cold War Era

About the Author

Alexander Bloom is Professor of History and American Studies at Wheaton College in Massachusetts. He is the author of Prodigal Sons: The New York Intellectuals and Their World (Oxford, 1986) and co-editor of "Takin' It to the Streets": A Sixties Reader (Oxford, 1995).

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (May 3, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195125150
• ISBN-13: 978-0195125153
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #906,887 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

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0 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Things Were Turned Around and Upside Down Then., September 20, 2006

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Betty Burks "Betty Burks" (Knoxville, TN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Long Time Gone: Sixties America Then and Now (Viewpoints on American Culture) (Paperback)

Growing up being picked on by a bully because he was 'smart,' Rigby of Pocatello, Idaho, led an upsetting and sad existence. The Sixties were hard on everyone but, most particularly, the sensitive, bright young students during the turmoil which was forced into their existence. No one could escape the horror. Not only was it devastating emotionally and mentally, but physically as well. Rigby had to endure numerous beatings by a dumb neighbor boy from a wealthy family. Money is not everything in this life. It won't buy you scruples, intelligence or morals. You may inherit the iltellect part from your parents, though it is possible to overcome poverty by appreciating good teachers at school and church. You have have to learn the ethical part of life from church, but watch out for the hypocrites who don't practice what they preach.

Rigby's family were overly religious and placed him in a Catholic school where he clearly did not fit in. Like me, he left home at seventeen to spread his wings and learn about the world outside his small existence. Now is the hour to right wrongs, not keep repeating the same old practices. When you pick on someone you think is not your equal intellectually or in status, you only demean yourself and your parents, who should have taught you some principles. If you haven't learned it by the time you're in your forties, it's almost hopeless to think that you will ever change.

The hymn as sung by Ernie Ford, "Now Is the Hour" refers to your entrance into heaven. If you've been a hellion on earth, don't expect God to forgive and forget your transgressions at the last minute. In San Francisco, Rigby found a whole new world deficient in morality. Needless to say, young Rig had a lot of transition in store to grow into a new being full of hope for his future. It's not my choice for a son to go for his coming-of-age regeneration.

All small towns are not like Pocatello (we lived in a good one at a Methodist college), and no other state is like Idaho. He was lucky to have left behind an unhappy childhood young enough to change for the better into a fulfilled adult. He was very lucky. Some men refuse to grow up and learn that equality and tolerance for others who are different is necessary to get along with others. When their "hour" comes to face St. Peter at the Pearly Gates, they will have to account for how they treated their fellow man or woman. We all reach that reckoning in the end. For some, it's a new beginning.