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Summary: A time capsule of major twentieth-century American news
Review: We Interrupt This Broadcast is a statement that never fails to send a little chill up my spine, as these four words have introduced many tragic news stories over the years. In today's jaded world, these words do not have the connotation I still associate with them, and that is both a good and a bad thing. In a world where so much is forgotten so quickly, it is important, especially for the younger generation, to not only know about important events in history but to have a real understanding of sorts concerning them. This book does much to help everyone living today, both young and old, to learn about, remember, and vicariously experience some of history's most memorable (many of them tragic) events. Over forty important moments of the twentieth century are detailed in this coffee table-like book, ranging from the fiery death of the Hindenburg in 1937 to (in my 2nd edition copy) the death of John Kennedy, Jr. in 1999. The third edition offers additional material of important events in the time period between releases. While none of these events is covered in-depth by any means, the book offers worthwhile summaries and plenty of informative photographs throughout its pages. More importantly, though, the book comes with two CDs containing broadcast footage of these events, letting today's listener hear the words by which America was informed of such tragedies as the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, as well as tales of horror such as the explosion of Flight 800, the fiery end of the Waco standoff with David Koresh and his followers, and the Challenger explosion. Of course, all the news was not bad: here you can hear and read about man taking his first steps on the moon, bear witness to the dismantling of the Berlin Wall, and celebrate retroactively the end of the World War II. In a sense, this is a time capsule of sorts, as it holds a significant part of the history of twentieth-century America inside its pages and burned onto its two CDs. We Interrupt This Broadcast would make an excellent teaching tool for youngsters, but anyone who wants to come to a greater appreciation of history could profit much by this book, as well.
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Summary: Nostalgic gift idea for parents
Review: We've given this book as a gift to both of our parents. Once they finally opened it and listened to the CD they remarked how much it brought back memories of growing up. It also is interesting for those of us who have grown up after most of these events happened because it gives us a sense of severity and reality which is often not relayed through history. A great gift idea but also nice to have in your own library both for reference and for history's sake.
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