Cultural History of Us Through the Decades: The 1950s

This slender tome won't tell you much you couldn't learn from David Halberstam's far denser treatment of this decade in his lively book "The Fifties." Nor will it provide the context necessary for a complete grasp of any of the discrete subjects touched upon, such as the golden age of television, the early civil rights movement, the Korean War, the Cold War, the nuclear family, or the Eisenhower administration. And of course no history book could hope to accurately capture the experiences of all who lived in the very large and diverse USA during any decade. But this is an engaging summary of the cultural generalizations that can be made about this time and place, and an excellent outline of the experiences shared by many Americans such as the cold war, the fear of communism, nuclear anxieties, the influence of television, and conformist pressures. This would be a good introduction for late high schoolers, early college students, or any history novice who simply wants a bird's-eye view. Alternatively, this would be a good book to read after Halberstam's book, and other more in-depth treatments, to reinforce the salient points. The well-chosen photographs provide further insights.