The Fifties

By: David Halberstam

Narrated by: Robertson Dean

Length: 34 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

The Fifties is a sweeping social, political, economic, and cultural history of the 10 years that Halberstam regards as seminal in determining what our nation is today. Halberstam offers portraits of not only the titans of the age: Eisenhower, Dulles, Oppenheimer, MacArthur, Hoover, and Nixon; but also of Harley Earl, who put fins on cars; Dick and Mac McDonald and Ray Kroc, who mass-produced the American hamburger; Kemmons Wilson, who placed his Holiday Inns along the nation's roadsides; U-2 pilot Gary Francis Powers; Grace Metalious, who wrote Peyton Place; and "Goody" Pincus, who led the team that invented "the pill".

A New York Times best seller

©2012 David Halberstam (P)2018 Random House Audio

Long, but extraordinary

the narrator and the length make never offer too much energy, but the level of which each topic is explored is truly incredible. Never over-analyzed, each chapter flows and teaches without judgement.

Boomer53

A great comprehensive evolution of the contribution of the Fifties. Well told and just enough detail to keep it from boredom.

coverage of many issues: social, economic, personal and political

liked most of it, setting 50s into long range historical perspective..It lacked consideration of countervailing trends: eg, beat movement, political humor; eg, Lenny Btuce, Mort Sahl, etc,, the importance of TV shows: Sid Caesar, Gleason, Berle, Paar,

Just outstanding

Engrossing social, political, and economic narrative popular history. Some is familiar, some not. Beautifully read. I highly recommend this one. A long narrative ride, well worth it.

Nifty Fifties

Author Halberstam provides a comprehensive look at a wide range of topics from this most interesting of decades. The political coverage provides insight into events straddling the late 1940s and early 1960s where issues cannot be strictly confined to a single decade. This can be quite a slog, but worth the effort. The inclusion of significant cultural celebrities such as Elvis Presley and Lucille Ball is both entertaining and illuminating, and provides a break from the dense political discussions.

If there is a single glaring flaw in this lengthy treatise, I would say that Halberstam's focus on North America, almost exclusively the United States, provides a somewhat isolated view of a decade that, after all, did occur all around the globe.

Robertson Dean's narration is excellent.

A turning point in many ways…

The book is long but worth every minute! The foundation for much of our current country, from Elvis to Cuba, is covered. Well worth a listen.

The Fifties

The book is a great summary of various events that occurred during this time with some overlap into earlier and later times. The section on the integration process was very informative and I learned quite a bit about it through this book. As with these books it sparks your interest in topics discussed so that you can jump off into more detailed books of the events. Well worth the time to listen through. Mr. Robertson Dean has a pleasant voice and good tempo. Although 34 hours it was not a chore to get through this audiobook.

Very nice

Well done narration of this surprising and broad history of the decade by David Halberstam

One of the best books I've ever read!

I read this book my senior year in high school and loved it! I was thrilled to find it on audible. Prior to reading this book as a kid in the early 90s I thought the 50s were boring and the '60s were the cool decade. While I still think the 60s wete an incredible time period this book will totally open up your eyes to all that was going on in the 50s and illustrate how it was a prelude to the 60s with so many seeds being planted politcally, socially, culturally...
I remember when I finished "The Fifties", close to 30 years ago now, that I couldn't wait for the follow-up. But, it never came. not sure why Habersham never wrote the sixties.
I would encourage anybody who loves history to get this book and get lost in it. I guarantee you will love it!
My only slight criticism is the narrator talks extremely slow. I pumped it up to 1.4 speed and it sounds normal. So, problem solved easily enough.

An Era's History in Short Stories

Loved this book & learned a lot from it. In his distinctive, reporting as literature, style, Halberstam captures the essence of the era. His chapters are a series of well-paced & well-linked short stories unto themselves that taken together tell a larger tale. Much of the history is familiar, of course, but Halberstam always manages to educate with previously unknown nuggets of knowledge & paints pictures of people, places & times that are powerfully real. The effect is not only a series of "Aha!" moments, but a bigger sense of understanding. From the Cold War, to McDonald's & Holiday Inns, to television, to integration, to sports & beyond, the narrative teaches as it entertains. The reading is virtually perfect. The Fifties feature amazing human achievements, horrible human depravity & more -- much more than I realized before listening to this fine work.