Synopses & Reviews
The Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, form the single largest demographic spike in American history. Never before or since have birth rates shot up and remained so high so long, with some obvious results: when the Boomers were kids, American culture revolved around families and schools; when they were teenagers, the United States was wracked by rebelliousness; now, as mature adults, the Boomers have led America to become the richest and most powerful country in the history of the world.Boomer Nation will for the first time offer an incisive look into this generation that has redefined America's culture in so many ways, from women's rights and civil rights to religion and politics. Steve Gillon combines firsthand reporting of the lives of six Boomers and their families with a broad look at postwar American history in a fascinating mix of biography and history. His characters, like America itself, reflect a variety of heritages: rich and poor, black and white, immigrant and native born. Their lives take very different paths, yet are shaped by key events and trends in similar ways. They put a human face on the Boomer generation, showing what it means to grow up amid widespread prosperity, with an explosion of democratic autonomy that led to great upheavals but also a renewal from below of our churches, industries, and even the armed forces.
The same generation dismissed as pampered and selfish has led a revival of religion in America; the same generation that unleashed the women's movement has also shifted our politics into its most market-oriented, anti-governmental era since Woodrow Wilson. Gillon draws many lessons from this "generational history" -- above all, that the Boomers have transformed America from the security- and authority-seeking culture of their parents to the autonomy- and freedom-rich world of today.
When the "greatest generation" was young and not yet at war, it was widely derided as selfish and spoiled. Only in hindsight, long after the sacrifices of World War II, did it gain its sterling reputation. Today, as Boomer America rises to the challenges of the war on terror, we may be on the cusp of a reevaluation of the generation of Presidents Bush and Clinton. That generation has helped make America the richest, strongest nation on the planet, and as Gillon's book proves, it has had more influence on the rest of us than any other group.
Boomer Nation is an eye-opening reinterpretation of the past six decades.
Review
"Effective recap of a population bubble that steamrollered history and won't quit." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Although some of the profiles are overlong, they are compelling and revealing, effectively personalizing history." Library Journal
Review
"Steve Gillon, one of our most accomplished historians, has brilliantly and imaginatively placed the life stories of six fascinating 'boomers' into the broader social and political developments of the recent American past." James T. Patterson, author of Grand Expectations: The United States, 1945-1974
Synopsis
A single generation's massive influence on our history and culture is captured in this prismatic look at the lives of six Baby Boomers.
About the Author
Steve Gillon has taught at both Yale University and Oxford University and is currently a professor of history at the University of Oklahoma. He is also the Resident Historian of the History Channel, where he hosts a Sunday morning show,
HistoryCenter, and appears in numerous specials, including "History vs. Hollywood." He is the author of many books and articles about modern American history.
Table of Contents
CONTENTSAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: The Long Boom
Cast of Characters
Part I The Cult of Youth: 1945-1978
1 The Boomer Generation2 The Vietnam Division
3 Growing Pains
4 Finding God
Part II The Great Shift: 1978-1992
5 The Prolonged Adolescence of Donny Deutsch6 The Way We Wish We Lived Now
7 The New Power Politics
8 The "Second Stage" and Other Struggles for Women
9 The New Fundamentalism
10 Boomer Culture
Part III Boomer Nation: 1992-2004
11 Gaining Control: At What Cost?12 The New Bosses
13 New Challenges; Lost Opportunities
Epilogue: We are All Boomers Now
Notes
Index
About the Author