The Fifties Chronicle
by David Farber and Beth Bailey
This book was a very thoughtful gift from my brother. He knew I loved the golden era, and rightly assumed I'd be consumed by a 500-paged 9x11-inch hardcover book detailing every trivia of the decade. I've kept the book as a coffee table book, but I didn't enjoy it as much as my well-intentioned relative had hoped.
The Fifties Chronicle felt like a textbook, and I don't just mean because of the dimensions. The writings were very dry and educational, and the formatting was very similar to an academic book. Chapters were separated by year, and strips on the side of each page were filled with day-by-day trivia. Pages were usually quartered and segmented into educational information about some occurrence within the year. At least 50% of the book was content of the Korean War, which added to the textbook feel. Those in the market for a rather cold analysis of a mid-century decade, this would be a very interesting read. Those, like myself, who would have preferred something warmer, with more of a cultural focus rather than a scientific and wartime focus, might want to try another book.
The Fifties Chronicle felt like a textbook, and I don't just mean because of the dimensions. The writings were very dry and educational, and the formatting was very similar to an academic book. Chapters were separated by year, and strips on the side of each page were filled with day-by-day trivia. Pages were usually quartered and segmented into educational information about some occurrence within the year. At least 50% of the book was content of the Korean War, which added to the textbook feel. Those in the market for a rather cold analysis of a mid-century decade, this would be a very interesting read. Those, like myself, who would have preferred something warmer, with more of a cultural focus rather than a scientific and wartime focus, might want to try another book.