Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hated history in high school? Prefer the facts? This pop culture book is for you!, August 2, 2008
I have the privilege of being the first person to review Timeline of America, a book that is now two years old and a part of book history itself. I must confess. I hated history in high school, almost as much as I hated math. Here's why...history classes were taught by boring coaches who only became teachers so they could coach football or baseball and relive their glory days. I guess history was an easy major for them, because every history teacher I ever had in grade school, junior high, and high school, was a coach! Had Floyd M. Orr been my teacher, I probably would have enjoyed those classes much more. Here's why...
His book, Timeline of America, at 281 pages is a "just the facts" type of book. It does not overwhelm you with the Christopher Columbus exploration, Washington and Lincoln roles, and Civil War chapters we all get crammed down our throats in a classroom. As a matter of fact, Columbus himself is summed up in a few sentences..."1492-Columbus lands in the Bahamas. 1506-Columbus dies believing he has discovered an island off Asia, not America." 'Nuff said. Let's get on with the rest of it.
And this book is loaded with lots of other interesting facts which you aren't taught in a classroom, a ton of "firsts" such as when the first UFO sighting was reported to the first Americans killed in Vietnam. In just 26 pages, the author covers a wide span of history from 1492 to 2006, spotlighting a few single events from each year. And that's just the part devoted to American history.
There are a ton of other sections devoted to inventions, food, music, movies, sports, and lots of other pop culture events that have shaped our nation. Not since a 1980s edition of the Guinness Book of World Records, that I dog eared and spent hours just thumbing through and reading bits when I was a kid, have I had this much fun with a book. Did you know that lead pencils were invented in 1492? In 1880 the first sewage system was developed in Memphis? The flush toilet was invented in 1775 but toilet paper didn't arrive until a century later? Floyd has done his homework!
For those who are car lovers or toy collectors, there are also sections devoted to you. What a blast from the past! Remember Pound Puppies from 1984? Cabbage Patch Kids from 1986? There is a piece of everyone's past in this book which you have probably long forgotten. Kudos to Floyd for collecting these details all in one book for us!
Spend some time with this book and you'll find yourself scratching your head and asking questions like, "Has it really been 10 years since the release of Saving Private Ryan?" Or you'll be reading out loud to others and saying, "Did you know..."
And for those who love to surf the web to find out what happened the year you were born, then this book is for you. Trivia buffs, history lovers, music and movie junkies, pop culture gurus, and anyone who might enjoy fun facts about our country should buy this book. It's perfect for passing the time on a long road trip. I passed it around at work one day and thought I would never get it back!
The author has organized the book by subject matter so it's easy to thumb through and find the subjects you want to read about. Then, each subject is outlined by year. In between, Floyd offers his commentary on wit on things from his own past that he remembers and finds of importance. Yep, I thought history was boring back then, but Timeline of America kept my attention right from the start!
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A complete and completely off-beat history of American pop culture, June 16, 2009
Floyd Orr has succeeded in compiling a quirky and amusing history of Americana from before the first documented UFO sighting in 1644 to the failure of New Coke in 1985 to the rise of the Dixie Chicks as musical pundits. Timeline of America is not a typical history book - remember those 700-page clunkers that are heavy on war, atrocity and death? - Timeline is a book about the "fun stuff." It is a celebration of the minutia that has defined our culture; the memorable movies, the power of television advertising, the rise and fall of popular music, sports as a consumable, popular cars, toys, computers and gossip. Somewhere between a non-fiction narrative and a list of dates, Timeline of America is a book like no other, a version of U.S. history told while sitting in the basement of That 70's Show.
Organized into a series of narrative timelines that cover general history, movies, music, cars, television, sports, toys and "the nerd channel" it can either be read cover to cover (I did that) or used as a reference that allows you to skip to your favorite category or year without concern. It succeeds in connecting the dots and organizing all the white noise of pop culture into a tidy little capsule where all components can be viewed as pieces to a giant puzzle (I never realized that John Bonham and John Lennon died less than 90 days apart), and lets you see connections you never knew existed. Did you know that Starbucks and cell phones, two things that literally go hand-in-hand, both arrived in 1971?
Filled with interesting trivia (250 grave robbers were shot to death in 1900???) the book is meticulously researched and overflowing with nostalgia. It's at its best when it covers the years when you grew up and resurrects countless suppressed memories (I had forgotten about the made-for-TV post-nuclear holocaust movie "The Day After"). Along with reminding you of all the great toys, shows and gossip of your youth, it's also filled with many things you'll be glad you missed - Heinz purple ketchup?
The strongest and most detailed prose can be found in the car section and Orr is clearly an enthusiast. I am not but I enjoyed learning how to determine the decade a car was produced by measuring the amount of chrome on its body. The details here are very convincing and Orr comes off as an expert. In fact, his knowledge of automobile history is so rich that it's almost too much. It is packed with so many details that after awhile I was swimming in a sea of letters and numbers that looked almost like someone had taken a Scrabble game and tossed it on the floor with a stack of Uno cards (2000GT F150 Honda DX 1998). After awhile the makes and models didn't mean much. Knowing that the 1998 Cobra had independent rear suspension was probably a bit too micro - I wanted to read more about Rod Stewart getting mugged and OJ fleeing from the cops in his Ford Bronco. And not a single mention of Back to the Future? Let's hear less on specs and more on Nick Nolte's hilarious DWI mug shot.
The movie section is pure nostalgia. Filled with movies I forgot that I loved and many I know I need to see it was great to read the yearly progression of movie history. The television section proved how quickly the arrival of the boob tube radically changed our innovation of snack foods. Can you image a dark age with no nacho-flavored Bugles or without mint and orange Kit-Kat bars? The music section is dedicated mostly it to rock music, categorizing and rightfully omitting rap, bubblegum and commercialized country music as "just plain trash." Orr's commentary includes such gems as "What is true rock and roll without talent, angst and rebellion? Without those things, all that is left is bad taste." And he's right on the money, strengthening his argument by referring to Shania Twain and Snoop Dog by their real names and not their corporate inspired monikers.
While some tidbits require further elaboration, like how reruns of Green Acres provided decades of entertainment for potheads, there will be some things that are missing entirely. No Kids in the Hall? What about The Daily Show? But Orr warns you that your favorites may not be found as not everything can be included. He alludes to a sequel and we hope we see one as the book ends with 2006 and almost begs for a second edition.
A masterpiece of nostalgia the book contains one nearly-fatal flaw: the cover. Clearly a symbol of the downhill slide music takes when corporate profits push art aside its tacky "road of life" image was clearly designed on a home computer. Normally I don't go here and limit my reviews to the content of the book but in this case Orr risks sacrificing a wonderful read.
I'm reminded of the fictional rock band Spinal Tap, laboring over their album's controversial cover and eventually releasing it in all black with no words or pictures. Let's hope Orr doesn't go that far when he produces his next edition but instead realizes that he has written a highly entertaining book - one that can be that much better.
Strengths: nostalgia!!! a fun, light read, painstakingly researched, filled with humor, well-written
Opportunities: not many but the car section gets bogged down in details, the cover
Will appeal to: movie buffs, car enthusiasts, history buffs, music lovers (especially rock music), people who enjoy gossip columns and anyone who loves their books American as apple pie.
Mark McGinty is the author of ELVIS AND THE BLUE MOON CONSPIRACY
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