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Summary: Simplistic, heavy-handed, left wing, factually inaccurate.
Review: I thought the movie "Pleasantville" was simplistic and heavy-handed in its treatment of fifties-era conservative values as evil and nineties liberalism as paradisiacal. But this book makes that movie look balanced. The author starts with an amusingly typical leftist retelling of the Hiss case, in which an uninformed reader is likely to incorrectly conclude that Hiss's guilt or innocence is still a historical mystery. The author is too busy delivering broad casual slanders of Whittaker Chambers and the HUAC members to bother with a description of the overwhelming evidence of Hiss's guilt (his ad hominem attacks, in which he fails to explain which member of the HUAC is guilty of which charge, can only be described as McCarthyesque). He also claims Hiss was tried for perjury rather than espionage because of a lack of evidence supporting an espionage claim, when in fact the statute of limitations had run on any espionage claim which could have been supported by Chambers' "pumpkin papers." Apparently, the book's publisher no longer employs a fact-checking department (or a proofreader who knows what a sentence fragment is). After reading that first chapter, what's left is predictable: Halberstam's left wing idols all wear white hats, surprise, everyone who disagrees with his visions are wearing black. Garbage and tripe.
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Summary: The Fifties by David Halberstam
Review: I'm sure that my views of a book such as this conflict with other people's mainly because of my age, I'm a junior in high school and we were assigned to read The Fifties. In a short simple review I can describe the book as highly governmental/political and little else to hold your attention. The book is rather long and boring to read because of the sentence structure used constantly throughout. The sentences are constantly broken apart and interrupted by "which he thought", "in fact", and many other annoying thought interruptors that aren't particularlily necessary. The subject matter is specifically what the title implies the decade of the fifties and subject matter mainly deals with government issues but also range from food, cars, and housing to war, elections, and authors of the time. Not all that interesting to a person with my interests. If you're looking for a novel pick up another book because this one follows no story line and is a subject by chapter book. So, if it's action or stories you seek, look elsewhere because this doesn't provide it. Not that this has anything to do with the subject but I recommend Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, it's brilliant.
Rating: 
Summary: What The Fuss Was All About
Review: If - for whatever reason - you weren't on Planet Earth in the 1950s, this is an excellent primer. Pundits, pop theorists and assorted other epsilon semi-morons routinely invoke the 50s as an Eden of social stablility; a paradise lost; a Womb To Which We Must Return. In fact, despite the TV images to the contrary, it was a bustling time of exponential social change. My favorite vignette is the invention of the Pill, with conservatives warning this would bring on the Age of the Amazons, with women supreme and men only serving as pleasant diversions.
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Summary: Want to understand the 60's?
Review: If you want to understand the upheavals of the 1960's then don't miss this superbly written look at the 1950's by David Halberstam. From the beginnings of the "liberal consensus," the beginnings of the Civil Rights movement, and through the Eisenhower Administration the seeds of upheaval were all sown during the decade we mostly remember as slow, innocent, and eventless. Halberstam has done an excellent job of showing us how skewed our memories can be. I was especially taken in by the onset of Madison Avenue's packaging of presidential candidates beginning in 1952, and also the look at the manipulation employed by Richard Nixon in his famous "Checkers" speech (seems like he got the idea from "Queen for a Day") and his use of his wife Pat for that purpose.
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Summary: An Inspiring Look at the Best and Worst of a Special Time
Review: In "The Fifties", David Halberstam covers a huge range of political, historical and cultural events that defined this pivotal decade. The Korean War, the development of the H-Bomb, the rise of Castro and Kruschev, the violent reactions to the end of racism in America, the fiasco of the U-2 spy plane over Russia is explained and analyzed alongside the rise of Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, Nixon, Television, Levittown, MacDonald's, Holiday Inn, and even the great game show fraud on "Twenty One". The events are integrated with a thorough look into the biographies of the people at the center of the events. An element of hindsight in such a recent historical era may incline biases; but they are largely absent. There is no underlying theme carrying through the narrations; just a look at some of the amazing developments. Halberstam writes with genuine interest and leaves us with a picture that is a joy and a real education. He is masterful covering such a range of events yet is able to include significant detail of the people and the events, giving you a perspective absent the social or media biases of the era.
Rating:
Summary: Very good
Review: People remember the 1950s as a time of peace and prosperity, an idyllic time in American history. Thank goodness for David Halberstam, who shatters the myths of the decade with an intriguing look at everything from Marilyn Monroe to McDonald's to the Cold War. Life in the Fifties was hardly idyllic for poor blacks in the south oppressed by segregation. There was lots of rebellion, lots of discontent. It's all here, but what really impresses the reader is how deeply Halberstam dives into each subject and gets the story- the inner turmoil of America's nuclear program, the efforts of blacks to fight racism in the south, etc. Lovers of history won't be disappointed by David Halberstam's work.
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Summary: WONDERFUL READ - VERY VERY INFORMATIVE
Review: Recommend this one even if you are not interested in this time period. If is full of wonderful tidbits and gives us some very good answers as to how we got were we are today. Having lived through this period of time, I guess, like many, I thought I knew quite a lot. I did'nt. Picked up some very good stuff here. The work is well reasearched and presented in a very readable form. Highly recommend!
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Summary: This is a stunning book - comprehensive and thoughtful yet extremely readable
Review: The scope of this book could turn readers away -- Beaver Cleaver to Elvis, John Foster Dulles to Betty Friedan, Rosa Parks to Ray Kroc, Jack Kerouac to Gary Powers. What keeps it from being daunting -- and it is daunting not just in scope, but in size (700+ pages)-- is its eminently readable style. Halberstam writes with a journalist's eye for what is critical and important, and his writing is precise and focused. This is, believe it or not, great beach reading. The chapters are never more than 15 pages long, he sprinkles the themes throughout -- a chapter here and another chapter there. And his scope is fascinating: music, politics, civil rights, war, McDonalds/GM/other industry, feminism, beat poets, advertising and the rise of things to spend your disposable income on. The last 400 pages zip by like reading Elmore Leonard. As one born after the decade (in 1961), I learned a fantastic amount that explains a lot of what I grew up with. My advice: go out, go out NOW, and buy a copy. I finished this and bought 4, to give to friends and to my dad who actually lived through the 50s and was piqued by the book. READ THIS BOOK
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Summary: An incredible narrative for a truly compelling era
Review: This book brought to life one of the most interesting eras in American history. Mr Halberstam has a gift for describing a happening or character in a fashion that leaves little left unanswered. From assuming that the Fifties were an exact copy of TV's "Happy Days",this book opened my eyes to the actual occurrances that, at times, were anything but happy. The chapters on the Korean conflict and the Civil Rights movement in the South were particularly informative.After meeting the author at a discussion/booksigning for his book "Playing for Keeps" I thanked him for his particular ability to bring his readers close the subjects of his books. He has made me more apt to pick up a book rather than turn on my television. .
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Summary: A Guided Tour through the 1950's!
Review: This book examines the social, political and world developments that occurred in the United States during the 1950s. This is a wonderful, highly readable book that is rich in detail about a remarkable decade in history. The world changed in unpredictable ways in the 50's and Halberstam touches upon most of the major developments. This book makes clear how many novel developments of the 1950's have become an inseparable part of the fabric of today's society. This decade was a time of rapid change in which new social patterns were established. With World War II just a few years in the past, and he fruits of wartime research and development, Americans found new experiences such as television, along with uncomfortable issues such as atomic and hydrogen bombs and intercontinental missiles. Halberstam weaves a mosaic of this era by treating individual topics in each chapter. He describes the seeds of the Cold War and the Truman presidency. The tragic tale of Robert Oppenheimer, the brilliant leader of the Manhattan Project, who becomes embroiled in the era's hunt for communists is described. The rise of Joseph McCarthy, and the unbridled ambition that destroyed many lives and ultimately destroyed McCarthy. The American intervention in Korea is covered, along with Gen. Mc Arthur. The entry of China into the struggle changes the strategy, and had such a lasting effects into the 21st century. The development of the hydrogen bomb, and the first computers are highlighted. Curtis LeMay establishes the Strategic Air Command to be on constant alert to unleash nuclear destruction. Eisenhower and Khrushchev come into power, and the French are embroiled in Indochina (Viet Nam). The Russians launch Sputnik, and the US is embarrassed by Vanguard. Near the end of the decade Castro overthrows Batista and establishes Cuba as a communist regime. Gary Powers in the U-2 is shot down, and Richard Nixon prepares to run for President. Seemingly small changes in society occur that have lasting influences. The beginning of such cultural watersheds as suburban housing (Levittown), motel chains (Holiday Inn) and fast food (McDonald's) all had their roots in the 1950's, and are all examined. The beginning of the Civil Rights movement, the rise of Elvis Presley and Rock and Roll, and the American automobile, designed with oversized fins by Harley Earl are also in these pages. A wild, tumultuous and vastly entertaining ride!
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