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emiged's review
3.0
A series of 31 essays each highlighting a particular "uncelebrated" day in US history that had a great impact, often unnoticed at the time, on the course of the country or society's views. Some days were definitely more "uncelebrated" than others; the Battle of Yorktown, Dred Scott, and the atomic bomb aren't exactly unknown moments in history. But even when the topic was events with which I'm fairly familiar, I learned quite a bit. There seems to be a focus in the essays on viewing these events from the perspective of the "beautiful losers" as noted in the essay on the Human Be-In of January 14, 1967, and how these events fundamentally changed the way the country viewed itself or the way certain minorities, counter-cultures, or visionaries were viewed by the mainstream.
Lots of contemporary pictures give a flavor for the time period being discussed and informative sidebars regarding other related historical events and the personalities involved, provided greater context and depth to the essays.
There were a few minor typos and one inexplicable 1906 photo of John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt in Yosemite in the sidebar of the essay on hippies and beatniks, but all in all this is a valuable book for learning about these events within the context of American history.
For more book reviews, come visit my blog, Build Enough Bookshelves.
Lots of contemporary pictures give a flavor for the time period being discussed and informative sidebars regarding other related historical events and the personalities involved, provided greater context and depth to the essays.
There were a few minor typos and one inexplicable 1906 photo of John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt in Yosemite in the sidebar of the essay on hippies and beatniks, but all in all this is a valuable book for learning about these events within the context of American history.
For more book reviews, come visit my blog, Build Enough Bookshelves.
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