Terkel returns once again to his "oral history" format to investigate what he describes as "the deepening chasm [in today's American society] between the haves—and have-somewhats—and the have-nots." According to the author, the past decade has seen changes that have separated vast segments of that society and have even "cut off past from present." In examining this recent history, Terkel enlists the testimonies of farmers, politicians, antinuke activists, members of the Sanctuary Movement, academics, religious Fundamentalists, Wall Street fast-lane types, and the occasional dropout. Breaking the subject down into such headings as "School Days," "Family Farmer," "God," "Neighbors," Terkel compares and contrasts attitudes toward life in the US today. As can be expected, the contributions vary: some are nearly inarticulate, others a grabbag of accepted "truths" (i.e., cliche's). Many, however, are perceptive and, in the most compelling of them, deeply moving. Take, for example, the story told by Jean Gump, a grandmother, mother of 12, delegate to the 1972 Democratic Convention, and, most importantly, a member of the disarmament group Silo Plowshares. Mrs. Gump was arrested on Good Friday 1986 for infiltrating a missile site and disfiguring a Minute Mare silo. She tells her story with a palpable sense of commitment and occasional flashes of no-nonsense humor; for her act of dissent, she was sentenced to six years at a federal penitentiary. Nearly as engrossing are the reminiscences of a flight attendant whose pilot husband crosses the picket line in which his wife protests company policies. Like previous Terkel surveys, this leaves a great deal of chaff with the sociological wheat—but, because of the urgency and immediacy of its theme, it's one of the author's most successful offerings since The Good War.
Pub Date: Oct. 3, 1988
ISBN: 0517059959
Page Count: -
Publisher: Pantheon
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1988
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s...
Music journalist and musician Wald (Talking 'Bout Your Mama: The Dozens, Snaps, and the Deep Roots of Rap, 2014, etc.) focuses on one evening in music history to explain the evolution of contemporary music, especially folk, blues, and rock.
The date of that evening is July 25, 1965, at the Newport Folk Festival, where there was an unbelievably unexpected occurrence: singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, already a living legend in his early 20s, overriding the acoustic music that made him famous in favor of electronically based music, causing reactions ranging from adoration to intense resentment among other musicians, DJs, and record buyers. Dylan has told his own stories (those stories vary because that’s Dylan’s character), and plenty of other music journalists have explored the Dylan phenomenon. What sets Wald's book apart is his laser focus on that one date. The detailed recounting of what did and did not occur on stage and in the audience that night contains contradictory evidence sorted skillfully by the author. He offers a wealth of context; in fact, his account of Dylan's stage appearance does not arrive until 250 pages in. The author cites dozens of sources, well-known and otherwise, but the key storylines, other than Dylan, involve acoustic folk music guru Pete Seeger and the rich history of the Newport festival, a history that had created expectations smashed by Dylan. Furthermore, the appearances on the pages by other musicians—e.g., Joan Baez, the Weaver, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Dave Van Ronk, and Gordon Lightfoot—give the book enough of an expansive feel. Wald's personal knowledge seems encyclopedic, and his endnotes show how he ranged far beyond personal knowledge to produce the book.
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s personal feelings about Dylan's music or persona.Pub Date: July 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-236668-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dey Street/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
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