Rating: 
Summary: The 70's - but through whose lenses?
Review: While, as they say in Congress, reserving the right to revise and extend my remarks, I'll briefly give Mr. Frum a mixed review. The book is quite entertaining and generally well-written (although the last few chapters seemed to provide a bit of info overload). But about halfway through the book I began to feel a bit manipulated by the writer, and as I concluded, I came to the realization that this book, fun to read as it was, has a most definite self-righteous angle and as a political moderate I found myself questioning just how objective the supportive material was.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent History
Review: It is going to be very difficult to review this book because its scope is so massive. It encompasses so many facets of American society from the 1970’s that to do a proper review would take much more space .... I did enjoy the book, and I thought Frum’s analyses of many of the problems we face today originate with the 1970’s is dead on. A brief caveat to those planning to read this book: it is a history that embraces a conservative view of events. Frum casts many aspersions on the liberal policies of Lyndon Johnson and John Kennedy. He also attacks the 1960’s subversives who brought about so much woe at the time (and still are today through their hegemonic behavior through their positions in government, education and media). Frum does recognize that these subversives came about because the old regime made so many mistakes that it allowed for a questioning of the system. .... Most people cringe when they think about the 1970’s. I know I do. I was born in 1970 and can still remember the clothing (I have pictures of myself wearing things I wouldn’t wear on a dare. I blame my parents!). But Frum shows that this decade was much more influential for us today. The 1970’s weren’t just music, clothes and pet rocks. It was the logical extension of the counter-culture of the 1960’s and the precursor for our touchy-feely culture today. The 1970’s were also a time solely its own. It was a time in which belief in government dropped to outstanding lows. This was due in part to revelations about all of the dirty work the CIA had done, as well as widely reported stories on corruption in politics. Birth rates dropped like a stone, as feminism reared its ugly snout and commanded women to go forth and conquer in the workplace. A series of reports and books like The Population Bomb also led to fear for the future and a hopelessness that reflected itself in fewer births. Hopelessness is one of the big themes in this book. All of the degeneracy in morals, best exhibited by the rise of Studio 54, came about because people believed that America was in the gutter and could never become great again. Frum outlines three themes that caused this sense of despair: Vietnam, Inflation and Desegregation. America not only lost the war in Vietnam, but the scars of that loss never healed. The war caused divisions between generations and instilled in Americans a sense that they were losers. Inflation showed America that its institutions that worked in the 1940’s and 1950’s no longer worked in the 1970’s. The fallout from this shattering of the economic dream moved many to sober reflection on what exactly the American system meant. Desegregation revealed America to be deeply flawed. For a country that smashed fascism in the 1940’s, it was tough to admit that injustices based on race existed at home. This led to a questioning of the social system and an attempt to find solutions at any cost, of which one result was forced busing. Frum gives a nice expose of how much of a failure this idea was, especially in Boston, that paragon of Kennedy liberalism. Frum shows how busing alienated people because it showed how much power had been transferred from elected officials to appointed officials. The judges with lifetime appointments ignored the overwhelming demands of the people and enforced their warped views on the public under the guise of law. This led to a deep cynicism in the system because people felt they no longer had a say in how they wanted their society to run. The fact that this problem is ten times worse today serves as confirmation of what Frum writes here. I’ll stop at this point. There is much more to ponder while reading this book. I liked this book and I would recommend it to others in a heartbeat. Very impressive!
Rating:
Summary: One of the few honestly entertaining works of history
Review: James Versluys, editor, Houston Review. Until mr. Frum's book, I had yet to read a good history of ultra modern times. I have finally read one in "How We Got Here". Unlike mr. Frum's book on the right, which I found perfunctory, this book is a fresh peach in the rotting orchard of modern historical tracts. I can tell this was a good work because he had insights on the modern condition that I have not already dad. This is quite a feat, because I rarely find some work of interprative history that is not chocked full of notions that every damned inferior historian already has. It's so refreshing to see a man who can think on his own. This must make him a pariah with various history treachers hunched down in their dark little rooms. The best part of the book is that it was very loosely defined in the 70's: mr. Frum avoided all the faults of the various historico-biographies of the 60's which all seemed to forget the historical continuum and only vaguely remember that there were times *outside* the 60's. Mr. Frum, to his undying credit, not only pegs the more interesting historical time, and he also is relentlessly comparative not only to the rest of the century, but he compared the times to other trends from times past. How excellent that he has this far reaching view! I found his noting of trends of the past especially illuminating. As Hegel put it, "Men do not learn from history. If they did, they would not keep making the same mistakes". Damn right. For once, we have a historian who seems to understand the patterns of history both where they apply and where they don't: most historians seem hamstrung when comparing history. When they see a parallel, it becomes the same thing to them. They do not see how what is ostensibly the same event is also different. To his credit, Mr. Frum sees the unique happenings and unique patterns that come from such things as Television, mass communication, and incredible wealth. When he notes the 'gilded ages' of the past, he does not fall into the trap of immediately implying this is the exact same occurance, or that it might be the same thing. He seems aware that there are unique pieces to this new history. Lastly, this book is great because mr. Frum decides not to dive into the tired "Roman Empire in the Late Stages" comparative theory which historians and the semi-educated seem to think is such a clever thing to say. Thank God. Hey, buy the book. It's good. There's a lot in it, and Mr. Frum seems to undersatand that history is a big thing, not to be reduced into cliche's. How unique.
Rating: 
Summary: Something is happening and you don't know what it is....
Review: David Frum writes an entertaining book with loads of mental images we older folk can longingly recall. I personally thought the sexual revolution in the early 70's was fabulous. In any event, it would have been interesting if Frum had contrasted Rythym and blues lyrics from the 50' thru the 90's with the 70's being the conduit. Listen to the 50's tune "One Mint Julep" and its message of personal responsibily and honor and fast forward to Ice Tea, Puff Daddy and Eminem. The point is that the 70's were transitional as Frum avers. And, why the 70'? Recall that the Democrats and Republicans, pre-1965, were both anti-communist, pro-family values, pro-America, and conservative on economic values. The break in the 60's occurred when the Democratic party began to fractionate and fall under the control of Left leaning political theorists. This can be traced to the social rights legislation passed under the 1964-1968 Johnson administration. The Vietnam war created the perfect backdrop for the oppressor-oppressed philosophy found in Marxist ideology and in the aforementioned legislation. This far-Left poltical theory had been bubbling up, in America, thru the academy for 45 years, but couldn't get sufficient traction until the trauma's of the 60's provided a fertile staging ground. As this political movement morphed into the 70's, inflation, legalized abortion, and the pill pushed women into the workforce and allowed them the freedom to choose an alternative career to marriage and its one up-one down model; a model still present in over 90% of the world today. Nixon, whose second administration was done in by his self-inflicted watergate travails was exposed, as was the war, by the proliferation of televised journalism. Presently, any political anomaly could be made into a morality play writ large. Frum highlights this and more. Environmentalism, a handmaiden of the Leftist quest for world government on the order of a giant Sweden, was given a boost by predictions from rabble rousers such as Robert Ehrlich who Frum mentions in his "Apocaypse Now" section. For your added reading enjoyment check the "People's Almanac" circa 1975 and read the opening chapter on predictions by seer's such as Ehrlich. Don't miss it. Then refer to Frum's "God moves to Dallas" section. I suggest this because Frum's book is a backdrop for the implementation of the Leftist vision, given "legs" in the 70's, of eliminating private property with environmentalism as the wedge; for eliminating religion in favor of the state as the primary molder of family values; and for breaking up the family. Everything from welfare incentives for women to be single mothers, to government financed free abortion, to income tax incentives in favor of filing seperately versus filing as a married couple; to the Childrens defense league and its emphasis on a childs ability to sue his or her parents for being spanked, originated in the late 60's and was maintained along a continum thru the 70's. Left leaning social justice activists began to proliferate from our law schools and activist judges turned the rule of law, based on our constitution, on its head. All of this is catalogued by Frum in the plethora of facts and anecdotes he uses to mark these transitions in his book about this pivotal decade. And, all of this occurring while Moore's Law was harolding the onset of the telecommunication revolution and the explosion of information that has followed. To see the leveling effects these technology driven changes wrought on society and the subsequent rise of living standards for all, read the "Myth's of the Rich and Poor", by Alm & Cox. "How We Got Here" is an enlightening book which should be read as part of a grouping with "Bobo's in Paradise" by David Brooks, "Losing Ground" by C. Murray, "Twilight of Sovereignty" by Wriston, and "Divided they Fell" by R. Radosh. For a period piece book relating to an Icon of the Left, Fidel Castro, read "Against All Hope" by Valladares. This last book covers Valladare's 22 year stint in Cuban jails and serves as a bookend for both ends of the 70's. Those who would take issue with my Libertarian bent might do well to avail themselves of the "Dark side of the Left" by Richard Ellis. Frum gives us a window into his view of both political sides with copious statistics and stories. Hell, on reflection maybe the 70's were analagous to a long, chaotic, guitar riff which cresendoed when Reagan was elected. And then the battle was truly joined. In the meanwhile, kudo's to Mr. frum for a job well done.
Rating:
Summary: Great, but coulda used a proofreader
Review: Once I began this book, I could scarcely put it down. It is simply a fun read. Frum takes as his basic thesis that the America we know today was really defined more by what happened in the 70's than the 60's, despite the latter's hallowed/despised reputation (although it should be pointed out that for Frum, the "70s" basically extends from the late 60s to the early 80s). This is not a chronological history but a work of cultural critcism organized around various themes. Frum writes from a economic libertarian/social conservative point of view, but his wit and verve makes it an interesting read for all. One omission was that Frum hardly discusses the meteoric rise of professional sports in this time, even though it exhibits many of the trends Frum discerns. One big beef: having bought the paperback, it is dismaying that the publisher apparently did not take care to excise the numerous typos and such in the hardcover issue, which does not speak well of the folks at Basic Books. Get professional, bozos!
Rating: 
Summary: Nothing More Than Right-Wing Propaganda
Review: This book is nothing more than right-wing propaganda. The author blames the 70s for everything he and other right-wingers hate: progress. In my opinion, we won more freedom and rights in this decade. David Frum is just using this book as an excuse to put down the progress, freedom, and rights that we have won over the last 30 years.
Rating:
Summary: Like a walk down memory lane
Review: I just finished reading this book this weekend. As someone who grew up in the 70's, it brought back a lot of memories and reminded me about many things I had long forgotten, particularly the energy crisis. This book is filled with endless facts and statistics that put the 70's in its proper perspective. The only fault I could see was the numerous typos. There must have been at least 100 grammatical errors and typos. It does not look like anyone proofread this book.
Rating:
Summary: WERE THE 70'S REALLY MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE 60's?
Review: David Frum has written a brilliant and very readable/entertaining book about the decade which came after the famous 1960's. Frum argues the 70's had an impact more important than that of the 60's. He argues his case very well. He states that the great changes of the era were not centered around flower bearing, bead wearing, shoeless hippies, or fellow travelers, but around more ordinary and far more numerous persons, typified by a "47 year old machinist's wife from Dayton, Ohio who was hardly touched by the 60's," but whose life was turned, so Frum says, upside down in the 1970's. In that decade, "her husband dumped her, she discovered cappucino, her standard of living failed to rise for the first time in her adult life, and she cast her first Republican ballot." According to Frum, revolutionary behavior often (usually) ascribed to the 60's, took place in ways far more extreme than was the case in the 60's. The Sex Revolution, he says, is a case in point. The 60's were actually pretty quiet, sexually, but in the 70's "the great sex party...was on!" Many young women started sleeping with dozens of men at precisely the time when they (the young women) were recruited to the ranks of the new militant feminism which cranked into high gear in the early 70's. Feminists like Germaine Greer championed promiscuity as a means to break women's "doglike" devotion to men. A devotion still in place in the 60's before the 70's war between men and women began. As a result, the 70's became far sexier than the 60's. Frum is a skilled writer, and his HOW WE GOT THERE book is real page turner. 60's enthusiasts should add it to their "must get" list.
Rating:
Summary: A Right Wing Polemic
Review: Oh to see social life in such black and white terms! All evil, stupidity, and goofiness is the fault of liberals (which includes all boomers, activist judges, gays, economists, professors, unions, envionmentalists, and assorted fellow travelors). All that is right, good and true is due to staunch conservatives (Republicans). Still, it is an interesting world view (despite the typos).
Rating:
Summary: An Intellectually Rigorous History
Review: Too many history books written by someone with an idiology make a parady of intellectual rigor. Fortunately, this book is chock-full of facts and tightly constructed conclusions. Aside from being a pleasant read, you will come away being able to intelligently address the topic. Having said that, I fear David Frum's rigor is beginning to slip. There are a smattering of unsubstantiated "conservative"/paranoid statements in the book. I hope that Mr. Frum will avoid slipping into rigid idiology and continue to be the great thinker I have admired so much. If you are interested in this book, and expect intellectual rigor, you may also be interested in books by Neil Postman.
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