1963: The Year of the Revolution by Ariel Leve is a Harper Collin IT books publication, released in November 2013. I received a copy of this book from the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review."The revolution starts here. On the night of January 13, 1963- by accident, not design- the coincidental appearance of Britain's two rival national television networks by a largely unknown band called the Beatles and a struggling musician called Bob Dylan sounded the alarm, that within a year, would sweep away the ancient regime of class and culture on two continents."
This is an interesting collection of stories from both the US and Britain recalling the feeling of change in the atmosphere in the year 1963.
There are stories told by people in the music industry, the fashion industry, stories regarding art, politics and new inventions. The pill, sexual promiscuity, drugs, the works.
Weighing in were celebrities like Keith Richards, Joan Collins, and Patty Boyd on the changes taking place in Britain.
"By the fall of 1963, the revolutionary and self-indulgent exuberance in Britain was giving way to an new reality for youth's prophets: success, fame, and notoriety. But, these came at a price- responsibility, hard work, and the loss of innocence. The evolution raised their expectations, and hormones could only get the so far. Commercial demands and a new careerism took the form of ambition- something this generation had once eschewed."
In the US there was Motown, The Ed Sullivan show, the British Invasion and then of course the country was rocked to it's very core by the assassination of JFK.
It is amazing when you look back at 1963. There were indeed many changes that were rapidly taking place in pop culture and in politics. The contraceptive pill was only prescribed to married women, although as the books states, there were a lot of brass rings worn to the doctor's office.
The clothing was brighter and much more colorful, boots and short dresses and skirts. Vidal Sassoon creating hairstyles and becoming a celebrity in his own right.
The prevailing thoughts of those sharing their memories and stories was how they all seemed to sense a change in the air. It was electric.
There were many things that were not good changes. Drugs of course, being only one of many. There were also many good things that the changes of the 1960's wrought. One thing though is certain. The world was never the same after that year.
For me personally, I find this decade- er- interesting. The book seemed to focus a great deal more on the British climate as opposed to the changes in America. However, I enjoyed hearing these stories because they were fresh. The sixties in America has been rehashed many times over and other than just revisiting the same old stories, these memories gave fresh insight into the year 1963. Change didn't just occur in the US after all.
One thing to note is that this book really is not a narrative. Basically, it's a collection of stories by told by those who experienced and were influential in that pivotal year.
Overall this was an interesting read, at times a bit repetitive and a few times it lapsed into stories that weren't all that interesting, but I enjoyed reading it and that's what really matters.
This one is a B+
1963: The Year of the Revolution by Ariel Leve is a Harper Collin IT books publication, released in November 2013. I received a copy of this book from the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
"The revolution starts here. On the night of January 13, 1963- by accident, not design- the coincidental appearance of Britain's two rival national television networks by a largely unknown band called the Beatles and a struggling musician called Bob Dylan sounded the alarm, that within a year, would sweep away the ancient regime of class and culture on two continents."
This is an interesting collection of stories from both the US and Britain recalling the feeling of change in the atmosphere in the year 1963.
There are stories told by people in the music industry, the fashion industry, stories regarding art, politics and new inventions. The pill, sexual promiscuity, drugs, the works.
Weighing in were celebrities like Keith Richards, Joan Collins, and Patty Boyd on the changes taking place in Britain.
"By the fall of 1963, the revolutionary and self-indulgent exuberance in Britain was giving way to an new reality for youth's prophets: success, fame, and notoriety. But, these came at a price- responsibility, hard work, and the loss of innocence. The evolution raised their expectations, and hormones could only get the so far. Commercial demands and a new careerism took the form of ambition- something this generation had once eschewed."
In the US there was Motown, The Ed Sullivan show, the British Invasion and then of course the country was rocked to it's very core by the assassination of JFK.
It is amazing when you look back at 1963. There were indeed many changes that were rapidly taking place in pop culture and in politics. The contraceptive pill was only prescribed to married women, although as the books states, there were a lot of brass rings worn to the doctor's office.
The clothing was brighter and much more colorful, boots and short dresses and skirts. Vidal Sassoon creating hairstyles and becoming a celebrity in his own right.
The prevailing thoughts of those sharing their memories and stories was how they all seemed to sense a change in the air. It was electric.
There were many things that were not good changes. Drugs of course, being only one of many. There were also many good things that the changes of the 1960's wrought. One thing though is certain. The world was never the same after that year.
For me personally, I find this decade- er- interesting. The book seemed to focus a great deal more on the British climate as opposed to the changes in America. However, I enjoyed hearing these stories because they were fresh. The sixties in America has been rehashed many times over and other than just revisiting the same old stories, these memories gave fresh insight into the year 1963. Change didn't just occur in the US after all.
One thing to note is that this book really is not a narrative. Basically, it's a collection of stories by told by those who experienced and were influential in that pivotal year.
Overall this was an interesting read, at times a bit repetitive and a few times it lapsed into stories that weren't all that interesting, but I enjoyed reading it and that's what really matters.
This one is a B+
