The Way Things Never Were: The Truth about the "Good Old Days"

When I read this book, I knew it would upset some people for whom the mythical idea they had in their head of those "happier, simpler times" would be exploded. What Mr. Finklestien forced me to realize in my reading of the book were basically two things.Firstly, the human memory tends to be mercifully selective, emphasizing the positive and glossing over the negative. Be honest. Do you not feel that most people, yourself included, tend to have idealized memories of people that have gone on to their eternal rest ? The mere act of their passing made them better people in the minds of many who knew them. That works equally well with things, places and times that will never return. Many readers of this book will want to criticize Mr. Finkelstein for making them face the truth of the matter that, in the words of Mr. Joel, "The good old days weren't always good..." I am not among those. Instead, I greatly appreciate the author for the dose of reality.Secondly, I have always been of the opinion that you cannot really "solve" problems. The act of eliminating one creates another. I believe that if you look at the wide screen that encompasses both past and present, you get a good illustration of my point. Some things about America's golden age were indeed better; some indeed weren't. I could write you a list right now as long as your arm of things from that era that I would love to see return, then turn right around and write an equally long list entitled, "But for God's sake, please let me never again see....."My bottom line....I found Mr. Finkelstein's work very informative and interesting. For those who can handle the truth, it's a good read. But if you're among those who may become traumatized by having your mental version of those "good old days" challenged, my recommendation to you is to simply stay away.

Finkelstein does a tremendous job at showing that things in the past were not necessarily better than now. My own grandmother talks about how much better life was growing up for her. She doesn't seem to remember that she has lived through 2 world wars, the depression and countless other tragedies. A must read for young and old alike.