America's Decades - The 1950s (Hardcover Edition) - Hardcover

Gr. 5^-8. This entry in the Cultural History of the United States series opens by noting that the events of the decade were recorded in countless black-and-white photos, movies, and TV programs--appropriately so, since the fifties were a time of stark contrasts. Not only were there divisions between the black and white populations of the U.S., but there was also the affluence of the postwar period juxtaposed against the tensions of nuclear proliferations, and culturally there was the straitlaced, anti-Communist society coexisting with radical new expressions in music, literature, and film. Kallen does an excellent job of surveying the decade and placing it in the larger context of American history. He also examines what life was like for teenagers at the time and addresses such key elements of the decade as the civil rights movement, McCarthyism, the advent of the television age, and the effects, both positive and negative, of innovations in science and technology. The text is highly readable and the photos well chosen. A chronology and a list of books for further reading (most of them adult titles) round out this valuable volume. Source notes appended. Ilene Cooper

Grade 7 Up-This volume succeeds at debunking the myth of perfection that supposedly existed during the 1950s. Students will find a wealth of interesting facts and information on Communism, racial injustice, the Cold War, the U.S.-Soviet nuclear arms race, and the distinctive, memorable culture unique to the era. An excellent introduction provides a comprehensive overview of the book, and each chapter is divided into manageable sections. Occasional black-and-white photos capture the realities of the period, helping to emphasize the good and the bad, the positive and the negative events that occurred.
Susan Shaver, Hemingford Public Schools, NE
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