BOOM!: Voices of the Sixties: Personal Reflections on the ’60s and Today
Tom Brokaw
Random House
History
ISBN: 9781400064571

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In THE GREATEST GENERATION, veteran newsman Tom Brokaw examined the accomplishments and sacrifices of an America contending with the shadow of World War darkening daily life. He seeks to recreate that feeling in BOOM!

The Baby Boomers have seen innumerable changes in the years following World War II --- an improvement in rights for women and minorities; technological advancement; revolutions in popular culture and the arts, among others. Brokaw reports on and interviews scores of “boomers” to discuss how coming of age (primarily) in the 1960s changed their lives.

Many of the names will be familiar to readers; others will not be, but that doesn’t diminish their contributions to myriad “causes.” While a Gloria Steinem rose to international prominence, a Muriel Kraszewski, who fought for women’s rights in the workplace, received much less acclaim. But that’s part of Brokaw’s point: Boomers were all in it together, as a community, striving toward common goals. Brokaw says that the people he spoke with for the book believed “they were the largest, best educated, and the wealthiest generation in American history.” I wonder if every generation doesn’t make that claim, as it accomplishes a bit more than the preceding one.

Brokaw splits his narrative into a type of “before” and “after” scenarios. The first part roughly considers life before 1969, with the assignations, the war in Vietnam and the struggle for civil rights. The second part is a reflection of the “Aftershocks: Consequences, Intended and Otherwise.” This can be a bit confusing; for example, there are sections of women’s issues in both parts, but ultimately they tell very similar stories of stepping out of the image of the television housewife, vacuuming the living room in high heels and pearls, and “into their own.”

The Vietnam War also plays prominently in BOOM! as men who were then of draft age struggled with their consciences, whether to join in the fighting for American ideals or protest perceived injustices. Those “protest parallels” are especially apt today, as the country is embroiled in another conflict many see as unwinnable. Additional topics consider the (r)evolution of politics and other societal issues, although Brokaw does include some ’60s pop culture, including musicians and entertainers (James Taylor, Paul Simon, Judy Collins, etc.).

Brokaw concludes his latest opus with a profile of astronaut Jim Lovell, a member of the Apollo 8 crew that made the first trip to orbit the moon in 1968. This is an interesting choice; one might have thought the more appropriate ending would have been Neil Armstrong, who took man’s first wobbly steps on another surface. Lovell said that when he looked down on the Earth from his vantage point, all the world’s problems seemed so insignificant. Somehow I don’t think that’s the impression Brokaw would want to leave for a generation that tends to have a reputation of being self-centered.

As a member of the generation under his microscope, Brokaw is well-equipped to report, firsthand, something that he could not do in his previous effort. But is this a book that should have been written now, or should more time have elapsed, as was the case with THE GREATEST GENERATION? Have we accomplished all those idealistic goals we had in the ’60s? Have we attained an America built on liberty and justice for all, or have those ideals sloughed away as we’ve grown into middle age and beyond? The answer, of course, is mixed.

   --- Reviewed by Ron Kaplan

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