07/15/2019
In this somewhat contrived grouping, Lebo, a fellow at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, argues that four 1969 events were cultural watersheds: the moon landing, the Manson family killings, Woodstock, and the creation of the first four nodes of the ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network). Lebo digs deeply into the context and history of each: the political energy behind space exploration, Charles Manson’s psychology, the lives and experiences of Woodstock attendees, and the internet’s technical history and commercial influence. Lebo counts among the moon walk’s legacies public attention to environmental causes championed by former astronauts and a cultural acknowledgment of the value of technology. He argues that the Manson killings led to a cultural elevation of symbolic and political murders as more culturally significant than ordinary mass murderers. Other insights are less original: he contends that Woodstock was a cultural touchstone for baby boomers, with a cross-generational ripple effect that includes the continuing popularity of counterculture festivals such as Burning Man. And his take that the internet is changing the fabric of social relationships won’t exactly be news to anyone who is even marginally familiar with the web. Readers may not agree with his arguments that these events were seminal, rather than merely memorable, but those new to the period will find this account edifying. (June)
There have been a number of books focused on the Moon Landing, Woodstock, the Manson Murders and the beginning of the of the Internet. Only Harlan Lebo has weaved those stories together as a master story teller to look at the common themes and how they define the end of the 1960s. Through Lebo's eyes, these events, coming a year after the nation's political and social fabric was torn apart in 1968, represent the beginning of a new age. These events share more than a calendar year; they signify the opening of a new chapter in American history.
How can one author authoritatively and engagingly write about four such disparate events? Harlan Lebo tells the political, scientific, and popular story of how the United States came from behind to be the first nation to put footprints on the moon, then effortlessly shifts to true crime writer, describing how sociopath Charles Manson could suck lost young souls into his web of ultraviolence. Pivot again to Woodstock, the Baby Boom’s symbol of the utopian society that might have been, and finally to—wait for it—the invention of the Internet. Lebo deals with technical subjects with deftness and in a style that is at once succinct and entertaining. And, believe it or not, he connects the dots of these world-changing events that all happened in a span of 100 days in 1969. Far out!
What sets [100 Days] apart. .. is that Lebo looks closer at then-major names and at the everyman players, both who had pinky-fingers on what happened. These are the people who were almost headline-makers, who had remarkable front-row seats before slipping back into the crowd. History doesn’t always recall those bit-players; Lebo does, and that’s where readers will find the best parts of 100 Days. There’s why you’ll want to check this book on your list.
Just as Neil Armstrong rocketed towards the moon in July of 1969, Lebo boldly bursts through the past into the present.. .. As [Lebo] leads the reader through these 100 days, the reader comes to recognize that the many conveniences and ills which impact us today can be traced back to those four historic moments.
Correlating a series of vignettes under four topical headings—"Moon," "Manson," "Woodstock," "Internet"—Lebo (cultural historian, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism) attempts to reveal how four events “transformed the American experience.” Looking at each event from a cultural historian's perspective, Lebo exposes the technological progress of a nation challenged, the greatest and worst of humanity, and the frightening yet exhilarating change new modes of socialization and e-commerce have wrought. What makes this narrative unique and worthy of study is the temporal setting in which all four events took place—a mere 100 days. More important than the exposure of four events is the exposure of cultural bases of the events. The connectivity is exemplified by bringing together various programs in response to a presidential challenge, an accomplishment that has become, as Lebo writes in chapter 11, "so commonplace that it is no longer noticed.” Both the worst of individuals (Manson) and the best of gatherings (Woodstock) have become integral to the US vernacular and individualized iconic symbols. Such seemingly disconnected events reveal the necessity of returning to Crevecoeur’s 18th-century question: What is an American?
Correlating a series of vignettes under four topical headings—"Moon," "Manson," "Woodstock," "Internet"—Lebo (cultural historian, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism) attempts to reveal how four events “transformed the American experience.” Looking at each event from a cultural historian's perspective, Lebo exposes the technological progress of a nation challenged, the greatest and worst of humanity, and the frightening yet exhilarating change new modes of socialization and e-commerce have wrought. What makes this narrative unique and worthy of study is the temporal setting in which all four events took place—a mere 100 days. More important than the exposure of four events is the exposure of cultural bases of the events. The connectivity is exemplified by bringing together various programs in response to a presidential challenge, an accomplishment that has become, as Lebo writes in chapter 11, "so commonplace that it is no longer noticed.” Both the worst of individuals (Manson) and the best of gatherings (Woodstock) have become integral to the US vernacular and individualized iconic symbols. Such seemingly disconnected events reveal the necessity of returning to Crevecoeur’s 18th-century question: What is an American?
Correlating a series of vignettes under four topical headings—"Moon," "Manson," "Woodstock," "Internet"—Lebo (cultural historian, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism) attempts to reveal how four events “transformed the American experience.” Looking at each event from a cultural historian's perspective, Lebo exposes the technological progress of a nation challenged, the greatest and worst of humanity, and the frightening yet exhilarating change new modes of socialization and e-commerce have wrought. What makes this narrative unique and worthy of study is the temporal setting in which all four events took place—a mere 100 days. More important than the exposure of four events is the exposure of cultural bases of the events. The connectivity is exemplified by bringing together various programs in response to a presidential challenge, an accomplishment that has become, as Lebo writes in chapter 11, "so commonplace that it is no longer noticed.” Both the worst of individuals (Manson) and the best of gatherings (Woodstock) have become integral to the US vernacular and individualized iconic symbols. Such seemingly disconnected events reveal the necessity of returning to Crevecoeur’s 18th-century question: What is an American?
Narrator Tom Perkins’s bright, lively voice moves this audiobook along at a nice pace and also underscores the optimism that many Americans felt in the year 1969. It does sound as though he is actually reading the book, rather than narrating a story. He can be halting at times and, despite his diction, sometimes seems to be reading individual words. Making the sentences flow and using more emotion would have improved the listening experience. Overall, though Perkins has terrific diction and uses his deep pitch and friendly tone to make the audiobook accessible to listeners. R.I.G. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
Narrator Tom Perkins’s bright, lively voice moves this audiobook along at a nice pace and also underscores the optimism that many Americans felt in the year 1969. It does sound as though he is actually reading the book, rather than narrating a story. He can be halting at times and, despite his diction, sometimes seems to be reading individual words. Making the sentences flow and using more emotion would have improved the listening experience. Overall, though Perkins has terrific diction and uses his deep pitch and friendly tone to make the audiobook accessible to listeners. R.I.G. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
