Winner London Book Festival
Winner Los Angeles Book Festival
1968 BY RICK ROBINSON is a small-town deep-dive into one of the most significant and controversial years in American history. Vietnam, the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy, civil rights, protests at home and abroad, Nixon versus Humphrey all made 1968 a seminal year. This book is a month-by-month look into 1968 with a lens of understanding how this year helped shape not only baby boomers but all generations that followed.
George Allen, CPM, MHM –
Review of 1968, ‘A Primer For Understanding Baby Boomers’, by Rick Robinson.
A more apt subtitle, in my opinion, would have been ‘A Primer for Understanding Northern Kentucky Baby Boomers’. Until I read this book I had no idea KY life was so rife with local politics, organized crime, and “…drinking small-batch bourbon and smoking cigars.” P.157.
Most humorous part of 1968, for me anyway, was Rick’s description of comedian Pat Paulsen’s campaign for president as candidate of the Straight-Talking America Government party or STAG party. His slogan? “We’ve upped Our Standards, Now, Up Yours.” Paulsen believed marijuana should be kept away from college students as it was too good for them, and the government should give everyone a gun, but confiscate all the bullets. P.103
Robinson’s description of Vietnam era individuals who “…spent a great deal of time devising ways to avoid service.” P.151, struck a responsive chord with me, my annoyance at healthy individuals who did not serve – resulting in unnecessary battlefield casualties when units fought understrength. And in my later years, silently denigrating those same dodgers when they became family members through marriage and otherwise.
As a history writer I was particularly struck by this quote: “…news stories about success are put into scrapbooks. News stories about bad things make their way into history books.” P.146. So true. Carolyn and I have 40 albums of family photographs stretching back 70 years. And here I sit with my unpublished story: ‘The Bad Boys of Manufactured Housing’, describing bag men, murderers, slum landlords, and other rascals active in manufactured housing and communities.
Did I enjoy 1968 as a casual read? Sure did; once I accepted the fact the scope of the book is restricted to the pivotal year 1968, and geographically specific to Northern Kentucky. This new release joins Rick’s seven political thrillers, two literary fiction tomes, and three other non-fiction titles. I particularly recommend Opposition Research.
By the way, if interested in reading ‘The Bad Boys of Manufactured Housing’, let me know via gfa7156@aol.com and I’ll write it into an upcoming blog posting. GFA
George Allen / EducateMHC Blog
Reviewed by Pikasho Deka for Readers’ Favorite –
The year 1968 was not only one of the most significant years in the 20th century, but it also shaped the future course of America as a country, bringing groundbreaking cultural, political, and societal changes that defined the modern era. This is the year when the civil rights movement took the nation by storm, a nation plagued by civil unrest, growing political divide, racism, and bigotry. In his book 1968: A Primer for Understanding Baby Boomers, Rick Robinson takes readers through this tumultuous year, month by month, sharing momentous events and the biggest stories of the year that marked the latter half of the 20th century. Apart from being the bloodiest year of the Vietnam War for Americans, 1968 also saw the assassinations of two of America’s most influential and beloved leaders — Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy.
Award-winning author Rick Robinson brings readers a pivotal slice of history in this absorbing book. In 1968, the author offers a glimpse into a fascinating period of American history that will affect and impact future generations of the world at large. In this book, you will learn about the origins of populism in American politics, the significance of the Vietnam War and how it spawned the anti-war movement, the civil rights movement and how it gave voice to marginalized communities and people, and polarized political ideologies that paved the way for the political and societal divide that we see in America today. This is one of the most informative, educational, and illuminating books I’ve read this year, especially concerning American history. Robinson’s social commentary is spot-on and is particularly relevant for the 21st century. All in all, a gem of a book tailor-made for history enthusiasts.