1968 by Michael T. Kaufman
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Ann Welton, Helen B. Stafford Elementary, Tacoma, WA -- School Library Journal, 11/19/2008
KAUFMAN, Michael T. 1968. 148p. (A New York Times Bk.). photos. reprods. chron. further reading. index. notes. CIP. Roaring Brook/Flash Point. Jan. 2009. Tr $22.95. ISBN 978-1-59643-428-8. LC 2008015471.
Gr 9 Up–In the history of any culture, or indeed of the world, there are arguably years that are of greater significance than others. The events of 1939 and 2001 come to mind, and the argument of this book is that 1968 was likewise a watershed year with people rising across the globe to assert their own power and voice. Divided into 10 sections, the fluid prose treats topics such as the Tet Offensive; tensions on the U.S. home front engendered by the Vietnam War; the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Bobby Kennedy; the student uprisings in Paris and at Columbia University; the Prague Spring; demonstrations at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago; the summer Olympics in Mexico City; and the Apollo 8 Mission, which, on December 26, 1968, beamed back the first pictures of Earth as seen from space. Arranged chronologically, the narrative puts these events and others into their proper sequence and notes how they echoed and influenced one another. Numerous excellent-quality black-and-white photos augment the text, and each section begins with a facsimile of the front page of the New York Times, showing how each event was reported. The full text of each article is appended, along with source notes and an excellent index. Read cover to cover, 1968 serves not just to explain but also to clarify the meaning of events. Students will be well served by this extensively documented treatment.
