1968

August 15, 2018
Fourteen authors, including Omar Figueras, Lenore Look, and editors Aronson and Bartoletti, write about the tumultuous events of 1968.On the 50th anniversary of the year that saw the continuation of the war in Vietnam, the deaths of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, and riots in Paris, Prague, and Chicago, some writers recollect their childhoods while others tackle events that occurred before they were born. Biracial (black/white) author Kekla Magoon writes of King's and Kennedy's deaths from the perspective of the black community, describing the Black Panthers' community service programs and discussing why the Students for a Democratic Society, an anti-war protest organization run by privileged white college students, did not represent black interests. Laban Carrick Hill, who grew up in an abusive white family in Memphis, remembers how even at age 7 his uncle's racist response the day after King's assassination made him start to question his family's credibility since he knew firsthand what real violence was. Other chapters tell of African-American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos' protest at the Mexico City Olympics and their support from white Australian Peter Norman; the Chinese Cultural Revolution; the beginning of the end of Communism; and the origins of the computer age. The book's strength lies in the way different voices and different angles come together into an integrated whole.Fascinating and accomplished. (author's notes, source notes, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 12-18)

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September 1, 2018

Gr 7 Up-This anthology addresses "the seismic shifts and splits" that characterized the late 1960s and early 70s, including entries on the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, the influence of Communism on democracy, and the influence of democracy on Communism. The book also touches on the rise of technology, the history of comedy, and the place of athletes in activism. Many of the essays are personal narratives, which lends the collection a sense of immediacy and emotional intimacy. The editors have crafted a comprehensive work, and while not every essay will compel every reader, there is something to appeal to almost every interest. That said, there are chapters where sexual assault and beatings are described, and David Lubar's "Running with Sharp Shticks" is a miss; Lubar hints at controversy surrounding various comics and their routines but doesn't really dive in, using "the lens of twenty-first century sensibilities and sensitivities" as reasoning why a joke "might be seen as an example of racism, a brilliant parody of racism, or an uncomfortable mix of the two." To encourage research, several of the writers include teasers in the forms of names and terms that might be interesting to explore. The book begins with the essays, but points back to scholarship, or into the world itself, in a delightful way. VERDICT This wide-ranging anthology is useful as both a print symposium on the topic of 1968 and as a source book for further study.-Sheri Reda, Wilmette Public Library, IL

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September 1, 2018
Grades 7-10 Authors explore the tumultuous global events of 1968 in this anthology. Covering protests, assassinations, racism, scientific discoveries, world politics, and even the state of humor, these contributions, written in a range of styles, offer a wide variety of perspectives on the year. Some essays, such as personal recollections of being a teenager in 1968, are less successful than the entries informed by in-depth research, but taken together, they present a nuanced picture. For instance, Kate MacMillan's account of being a student protester in Paris in 1968 contrasts sharply with Lenore Look's incisive essay about the impact of the Cultural Revolution on China's poor, rural population. Even though all the essayists have essentially the same perspective?the Vietnam War was a mistake; civil rights protesters were doing immense good?the differences in their backgrounds make for a vivid, dynamic account of the complicated, intersecting politics behind brief accounts in history books. With an approach promoting critical thinking, this collection will likely help illuminate a deeply important year in world history and encourage fresh thinking about our current contentious moment.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)