Kennedy and the Promise of the Sixties

Reviews / Votes

'Using the persona of John F. Kennedy as a central reference point, W. J. Rorabaugh shrewdly explores a critical time of transition in American cultural and political history. Concise but inclusive, always perceptive, this absorbing volume belongs on a short list of essential works about the 1960s.' Alonzo Hamby, Ohio University 'Six elegant, wide-ranging, forceful chapters. These eventful years of American history - which still resonate in countless ways - are captured in vivid images and fast-moving exploration.' Charles Royster, author of The Destructive War: William Tecumseh Sherman, Stonewall Jackson and the Americans 'In what is more social than a political history, [Rorabaugh] makes good use of oral histories and personal correspondence to show that these years were distinct from the 1950s and the later 1960s, owing no small part to the Kennedy presence ... Recommended for public and academic libraries.' Library Journal 'A welcome addition to the literature on the fourth American president to be slain while in office. Its brevity and readability ensure that Rorabaugh's study should appeal to both historians and the general reading public.' History