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What Really Happened to the Class of '65?

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Written in 1975, What Really Happened to the Class of '65 is a compilation of interviews with 30 members of the 1965 graduating class of Palisades High School. Most of those in question grew up in very affluent households and most of them, in the course of their interviews, seem to have an almost astounding ignorance of the fact that their teenage lives were hardly the norm. However, that's not a major problem or concern. Instead, what makes this book interesting is seeing just how much time has changed -- both in the ten years between their graduation and the book's publication and, even more so, in the decades after the book came out. On the whole, everybody in the book represents a certain type -- popular jerk, pretty boy, quarterback, nerd, bully, cheerleader, ect. However, in the course of some remarkably candid interviews, they're all given a chance to establish their own unique, for-the-most-part fairly likeable individual indentities. Reading it made me wonder what was really going on in the heads of those people I knew in high school who I simply assumed were bullies or jocks or cheerleaders or geeks and nothing else? It actually made me want to get in touch with people I barely knew just to find out who they were now.

Most of the interviewees share in common an amazement at how much times had changed between their high school graduation and 1975. All of them, for the most part, are quick to point out that they're now totally different (read: better) people. Most of them, as well, sound like almost stereotypical creatures of '70s -- i.e., the quarterback becomes a bisexual, new age minister, quite a few have made fortunes of their own but still proudly wear their hair long and seem to believe they were personally responsible for ending Viet Nam and forcing Nixon to resign. While reading, I found myself wondering what happened to these folks once the '80s hit, much less the '90s. On the whole, you could imagine most of them probably voted for Carter in '76 and then spent the next decade pursuing the same basic life styles that they seem so quick to attack their parents for doing. Its a shame that Medved and Wallechinsky didn't follow-up on these people in 1985 and 1995. (Though Wallechinsky did write a sequel on his own, for some reason he decided to interview a new batch of people!) Of course, the most interesting change to be found amongst the people profiled is that of co-author Michael Medved. In the book, he almost practically boasts of how, once in college, he dedicated all of his time to "liberal politics." (Though, of course, he doesn't mention it, he was a friend to Clintons while at Yale.) Of course now, Medved is better known as one of the most outspokenly right-wing film critics out there. Many will enjoy this book for the nostalgia but for me, it'll always be wonderful proof that nothing -- be it your politics, your bank account, the length of you hair, or whatever else -- is ever as permanent as you might think.

I was a member of the Palisades High Class of 1965 (but not an interview subject). Those whose tales are chronicled in this book were my class mates. While it was surprisingly (voyeuristic) interesting to read, ten or fifteen years afterwards, what had happened to Judy, Brock, Mark, Suzanne, Jon, Bill, Lisa, David, and the others that I had known all through Junior and Senior High, these people were hardly typical of our class or of our generation as a whole.

The book should be taken for what it is -- a simple compilation of self-told chronicles provided by a few particularly (and intentionally)selected, well-to-do, West L.A. High School graduates from the mid-60's. That's all. It is not, by any means, a significant or noteworthy representation of an entire generation of young adults coping with and maturing during the "Viet Nam / Drug / Hippie / Sexual Revolution" 1960's and 1970's.

A interesting read. Especially for someone who was a part of the generation and a part of the very class covered. Beyond that...conclude what you wish...but you do so at the peril of selective representation.

"What Really Happened To The Class Of '65" purports to be a sociological examination of the Baby Boomer generation's road to maturity, but what really is great about it is its candor and vivid accounts of high school life.

The members of the class are a mix of different types recognizable in schools today: The star quarterback, the flirt, the joiner, the outcast, the slut. Of course, within those broad categories are individuals with complications and insecurities their smooth exteriors often hid. Kids work very hard at protecting their inner selves from scrutiny. Fortunately the older versions of these kids are all-too-happy to share the details of their class insecurity, sexual desires, and what they thought of each other.

"I just remember her being sort of a snob, and I could never quite trust her," one female class member says of another. "She would be my friend one day, and the next day everything would change..."

"He was totally sarcastic," goes a recollection of another class member. "I enjoyed his sense of humor, but a lot of people didn't. I know this because people used to ask me how I could stand to go around with him."

You can recognize such characters from your own high school years. I know I can.

I wish the authors did more with the "when they were young" element of the story. There's some recountings of favorite music and when President Kennedy was shot, but not enough. The focus, after various classmates give their snapshot portraits of each subject in turn, is often on what these kids grew into. The quarterback is now a New Age minister. The flirt is now a lesbian. The outcast now lives in Micronesia. Several have been arrested for drugs.

It's here where the story becomes more specific to its time, the freewheeling 1960s and 1970s, and you get that sense of things coming apart unique to that era. There's still poignance in the stories, though, especially two. One, the school dreamboat, pursues an acting career with diminishing success and commits suicide. Another, the aloof dreamer, joins a series of movements and finally becomes a John Bircher, renouncing sex, movies, and society in general as he lives in his own dreamworld. "Ten years from today I expect to have written at least ten books which are far superior to anything a college or high school student sees in his literature courses," he tells the authors.

I haven't done a search of the name "Jamie Kelso" on this website, but I sense that I won't find much if I do. At least he participated in one terrific book.

The level of overall participation is the most remarkable thing about the book. All but two out of the 30 students profiled opted to be identified by their real names (the two not so identified wouldn't have been missed) and dish enough dirt on themselves and each other that you realize this could have only happened in the "Let-it-all-hang-out" era of the early 1970s. Though the book was a bestseller in its day, and even was the basis for a "Saturday Night Live" sketch, there hasn't been a true followup, which is not surprising. Doubtless many of the subjects didn't appreciate how much information the authors used, and those that did probably didn't relish a second exposure in the more judgmental 1980s.

The authors also give out information on themselves. Michael Medved especially comes off as a bit stuck up, but amusing. He toiled over an epic poem on the assassination of William McKinley, which a classmate pronounces "awful." There's also a funny account of how he lost his virginity, which if made into a movie scene today, would undoubtedly earn the wrath of Medved the popular reactionary film critic.

Funny, poignant, wistful, "What Really Happened To The Class Of '65" is like thumbing through someone else's yearbook and realizing you recognize most of the people there.

Normally I dislike "reality TV" sorts of things- I feel as though I'm enjoying other people's misery- but I found this in the book section of a second-hand store (always a good sign) and grabbed it. It's basically a collection of stories of how a group of people spent the years 1965-1975. Despite the fact that these are real people and it's dangerous to use such a small group to make generalizations about a time period, I think I can safely say that it was a lot more action-packed than things are right now (or maybe I just lead an especially boring life). My only complaint was that so many of the stories were about the more popular or well-known students; I would've liked to see what happened to some of the other students. I'm not sure what this book proves, if anything; I get the feeling that there are a few great truths in it, if only I knew where to look. Whatever it is, it's a great read.

I bought my copy at a used book store and I didnt expect that this will become one of my favorites.
TIME magazine featured the students of Palisades High.Ten years later,two men who remained friends after high school decided to write about their classmates as well as themselves (to be fair).They interviewed some of their classmates (those stereotypical personalities you know in high school like the Quarterback,The Popular Guy,The Nerd,The Bad Girl,etc.)and none of them expected the revelations about those people that they used to know.Most stories are quite tragic,probably because these people are trapped in all the expectations from other people and themselves.
This book is very well written that a reader would end up as if they personally know these people.

In 1965 Time Magazine did a feature on the graduating class of Palasades High School, one of the most affluent schools in the country. Ten years later, two of the students (both of whom later went on to become famous) went back and interviewed some of their classmates that were featured in the article to see how their lives had gone. What they discover is seldom what they were expecting and, occasionally, downright shocking.

This is an old book but is still relevant in that it points out that nobody really knows what is going on in someone else's life. A drop-dead beauty who was considered too aloof to even attend her prom turned out to be terribly lonely, unable to go to prom because no one asked her -- sure that she would already have a date and reject them. Someone voted most likely to succeed is a drug-addled mess ten years later. And so forth.

Boomers (like me) will probably relate most to this book. I read it when it first came out and I made it required reading for both of my sons when they were teens. I wanted them to understand that you think you think you know how popular or successful or happy someone else is and, in truth, you don't know Jack. To this day, I cut people slack because I don't know what's going on at home or at their jobs and I learned that in this little book. Go figure.

The mid 60's was a very confusing time in the 20th century. Drugs were a new experience to be tried, the Vietnam War was about to reach its peak, and the new activity was rebelling against the older generation. This book tells about what it was like and how each person lived in those times. But it also relates the people and their stories to generations after it.

The authors interviewed 30 people ten years after their graduation from Palisades High School in 1965. The interviewees are examples of every extreme; the quarterback and head cheerleader, the gang leader, the surfer, the intellectual and everyone in between. Interviews are not held in the usual question/answer form, but instead are written like a lecture or story as told by the interviewed person. This minimizes breaks and gives the reader a better feeling for each character so that by the end, you WILL feel as if you know all 30 of them.

Each interview is different and similar in their own ways. Most male interviews mention avoiding the draft to fight in the War. Most women comment on their views of the housewife, and everyone mentions drug use. But in the same ways that they are similar, I found them to be different as well. A few found religion in their travels, while others only found poverty. Many of the stories are surprising, and a few are just as you would assume such a person would be 10 years later. But no matter what the outcome, they are all entertaining (except for Jamie Kelso's, but you can find that out when you read the book).

This book gives an interesting, but true take on life. Those who were bound to fail end up succeeding, and those with the 4.0 GPA wind up owning a farm. It will give you a refreshed feeling after reading and most likely, make you curious as to the fates of those you once knew in school.

Written in 1975, this book chronicles the lives of 30 or so graduates of an upper-middle-class high school in California (the class of 65). Each individual is allotted 4 or 5 pages that detail (mainly in their own words) their recollection fo high school and what they've been doing for the last 10 years. All I can say is that the rest is fascinating. What better way to analyzize a generation (or at least an economic strata of a generation) than slice a cross-section through it and see what oozes out.

As a member of the class of 85, I found myself continually amazed by how strikingly different the experiences of these individuals were from my own and from those of my peers.

This book is the closest thing that you'll get to answer the question : What really happened to the call of 65?

What Really Happened to the Class of '65? is an engaging look at what became of the Palisades High School students Time Magazine said were "on the fringe of a golden era" back in January 1965. For those who like biographies, the book is irresistible. There is so much human interest in the stories of the privileged youths who entered adulthood at one of the most confusing, and fascinating, times in American history.

I think that it is fair to say that the stories here are somewhat particular to the time (1965-1975), place (West LA), and social classes (upper-middle and upper-class) of the interviewees. I suspect that the stories would have been somewhat different had the authors chosen to focus on a middle-class, or working-class school in the Midwest or Southeast. That said, the 1965 Palisades High grads are a fascinating group because they often became heavily involved in the anti-war movement, narcotics experimentation, and the sexual revolution. It is fair to say that the changes in the U.S. from 1965 - 1975 completely transformed the lives of these individuals.

One of the most interesting aspects of the book is the diversity of paths taken by the Class of '65. (Perhaps the authors selected their subjects with this idea in mind). Some had done well. Others had not. For a homogeneous group of well-to-do, kids, their lives had gone in many different, surprising directions.

If I have a criticism of the book, it is that What Really Happened to... seems very dated by now. The 1975 update, in some ways, smacks of nostalgia for the (supposedly-) simple life of pre-1965 America. However, the 1975 portraits of these people must be very outdated by now. Most of us dramatically change from the time we are in our late-20s to our early-60s (where the interviewees would be now). It is no fault of the authors, but the reader leaves the book feeling a little dissatisfied with not knowing What Really Happened to the Class of '65 after their ten-year reunion. Surely, there were some very dramatic changes still left.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Los Angeles, the 1960s, or the paths we all take in maturing to adulthood.

Growing up in the 70's, it is hard to understand the dramatic societal changes that took place in the 60's. This book takes you right back to that time through a series of interviews, given 10 years after high school, with students from the "golden era" class of '65. These interviews are frank discussions of politics, drugs, sex, spiritual journeys and relationships, as well as reminiscences of that bizarre time in our lives we call the high school years. These students are from very wealthy families and are not a cross section of their generation, but this book provides a unique view of what it was like to be on the cutting edge of major shifts in societal views.