Review: Woodstock: The Oral History

Woodstock: The Oral History by Joel Makower
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the definitive resource on the Woodstock Music and Arts Fair in 1969. Utilizing oral history from many of the people who helped produce the concert, as well as the performers, concert-goers, and residents of the White Lake, NY area where the concert was eventually held, this book gives a behind the scenes look at the 3 days of peace and music that has become an iconic symbol of the 1960s counterculture. Some of the stories are nearly unbelievable, but today we have a documentary that was filmed over those 3 days to support the wild testimony of those who were there and recorded in this book.

Author Joel Makower follows the festival from the early beginnings of planning through the aftermath, including follow up on the production team, how funds were paid out and a "where are they now" on those that participated in the oral history project. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the weekend festival, with a revival slated for the same weekend in August. This is a great read for music lovers and those interested in the counterculture of the 60s. It will be interesting to compare the original festival to the upcoming revival later this year.

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Review: America Divided: The Civil War of the 1960s, 3rd Edition

America Divided: The Civil War of the 1960s, 3rd Edition by Maurice Isserman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

America Divided is a very thorough review of the political, social, and cultural history of the 1960s. This decade is known for being a tumultuous time of change in our nation's history. The 60s begin with a new era of democratic politics, moving away from the conservative leadership of Dwight D. Eisenhower. The young Catholic John F. Kennedy wins the presidency taking on a new age of liberalism. Civil Rights come to the forefront spearheaded by Martin Luther King, the SCLC, and SNCC. Cuba and Vietnam are at the top of the list of JFK's foreign relations concerns. After JFK's assassination, Vice President Lyndon Johnson becomes the nation's leader and the "New Left" rises in the wake of student protests and rising tensions with Vietnam taking us into an unwinnable war. A conservative revival and the war brings another change leading to the election of Richard Nixon in the latter part of the decade. This was the decade that marginal groups yearned to be heard and to gain equal rights for women, Blacks, Chicanos, and LGBT. This book covers it all and covers it well.

Although this book is intended as a scholarly read, for use as a text for history students, it is very readable and a great resource for anyone interested in learning more about this era. The book actually starts in the mid-50s, laying the ground with the mindset of the nation in the post-war era. It continues chronologically through the mid-70s and the resignation of Nixon after the Watergate debacle, but the meatiest part of the text centers on the 60s. It is a somewhat short book yet very thorough. The perfect resource for the 60s.

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Review: Marilla of Green Gables

Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Many know the story of the feisty red-headed young Anne Shirley in Lucy Maud Montgomery's series Anne of Green Gables. In Marilla of Green Gables, Sarah McCoy imagines the young life of Anne Shirley's adopted mother, Marilla Cuthbert. In Montgomery's Green Gables series, Marilla is the spinster woman who takes in Anne, along with her spinster brother, Matthew. Neither sibling ever married and in their senior years, they are struggling to keep their family farm going without some young hands to help with the work. They decide to adopt an orphan child. They expected a young boy but end up with Anne Shirley. Montgomery's series focuses primarily on Anne but we get to know and understand a bit about Marilla and Matthew. Marilla is set in her ways and expects Anne to act like a young, proper lady at all times, something Anne usually finds difficult at best.

Why is Marilla so stern? Why did she and Matthew never find mates and marry? McCoy weaves a wonderful backstory of the lives of Marilla and Matthew and gives the reader an idea of what Marilla's childhood might have been like. The story centers on Marilla but also explores Matthew's life. It answers the questions as to why neither marries and also delves into the relationships each sibling has with their neighbors and friends, particularly with John Blythe and Rachel Lynde, both characters that appear in the Green Gables series.

McCoy does a very good job of matching the vernacular and rhythm of the Montgomery series, making this book a prequel that seamlessly melds into the original storyline. I'd like to think that Montgomery would have enjoyed McCoy's book and imagined a similar story for Marilla and Matthew. Although the original series is geared for young readers, Marilla of Green Gables is more adult oriented but would be a good book for tweens and older that were fans of the original series.

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