Exceedingly researched, this book reads more like a text book that a paperback.

1968 brought the Tet Offensive and the shipping of more and more American boys to die in a jungle, far away for a senseless endeavor.

By 1968, people were tired of the blatant lies told by the United States government. Lindon Johnson's war was costly, not only in terms of the loss of life, but financially as well. By the time the front page of newspapers should an image of a small boy running while skin is coming off from the burning, even those who supported the war were realizing just how terrible it really was!

The phrase of 1968 was "sex, drugs, and rock and roll." It was the year of death of Martin Luther King, and Bobby Kennedy, both assassinated. MLK, turned the focus from non violent protest regarding the treatment of African Americans, to speaking at the pulpit protesting the war that disproportionately drafted and killed black young men.

There were riots at the Democratic National Convention held in Chicago. Black Power became a buz word as Stokley Carmichael and Malcolm X lifted fists in the air to protest not only the war, but the treatment of the black population in the United States.

TV became popular as increasingly people bought a small black and white box that focused on the face and personality of Walter Cronkite as the honest person to trust.

Packed through with facts, it took a while to read this missive that showed just how dysfunctional America was as it increasingly spun out of control.

Disproportionately skewed towards US events. I mean allocating 5-6 pages to Nigerian Civil War&Biafra while devoting more than a hundred to American students' protests? Give me a brake and re-write the coverage of the Soviet invasion to Czechoslavakia. Your account is very shallow.

4-5 for content. 3 for delivery. Interesting, if cumbersome work. Classic Kurlansky. Some parts were great, others pedantic. Worth it if you have the time and interest. NB-I listened to this book- don't do it. The private English school grad who reads the nearly ruined the read for me, particularly his butchering of French and Spanish. I was painfully reminded of one of my favorite author's P.G. Wodehouse, starting line of The Luck of the Bodkins : “Into the face of the young man who sat on the terrace of the Hotel Magnifique at Cannes there had crept a look of furtive shame, the shifty hangdog look which announces that an Englishman is about to speak French.”

1968 feels like one of those mytical years that every one traces a political change. It really was one of those monumental years in many, many places. Kulansky traces student and protest movents across the northern hemisphere, Poland, Czechoslovakia, France and the United States. One of its final chapters discusses the supression of the Mexican student movement. It is long over 700 pages but I really wish he had also incorporated some chapters on what was happening in Brazil and Ecuador.

Some of the key insights student movements did not have connect on ideas, they understood tactics. Television also really changed how these movements succeeded, changed the agenda and continues to frame our current politics.

I have always been interested in the year 1968 and this book did not disappoint. This was a history written about all parts and countries on this earth where protest was.

The parallels to current events in this book are amazing. I started this book before all the unrest began this year and sometimes statements on the news would eerily echo statements made during similar unrest around the world in 1968. I also learned how widespread the winds of change were in 1968. Now I have a better understanding of the anxiety and fear my parents felt bring me and my siblings into this world during that decade.

Another well written book by Mr. Kurlansky. I definitely recommend it.

I had no idea of how widespread discontent/protest movements were around the world in 1968. While I remember several salient events of 1968 (Johnson not running for reelection, MLK and RFK assassinated, Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, Chicago convention, etc.), I did not know a lot of the details and what was behind them. I also knew nothing of their interconnection and interrelation.

This book gives an excellent background, including info on many of the movers and shakers of the time. It shows not only the parallels, but also gives information on the relationships between some of the key figures.

Most of the subjects are sufficient for full books on their own. But this book does a good job of summarizing things and helping the reader to understand the context and major issues.

For anyone who is concerned about our modern times, this is especially interesting reading.

I listened to the audio version of this book. It is very well narrated. Enunciation is excellent, volume and tone are consistent, and the pace is appropriate.

I never realized that 1968 was such an eventful year. I love reading about the past and realizing how things lined up. The author does a good job of showing the way things around the world coincided to make 1968 a very explosive year.

There are better books about American history during the period covered in this book, but none that I know of that draw together the different events around the globe, with a particular focus on events like Prague Spring as well as the student uprisings in France and Germany. Other upheavals like the Biafra famine, the emergence of the PLO, the beginnings of the Cultural Revolution and the 1968 Mexico City Olympics get more cursory coverage which may spark interest in deeper histories of each topic. To be honest, I've started many a Mark Kurlansky book (Cod, Salt) but this is the first one I've finished.

It is now 50 years following 1968 and I thought it would be appropriate to finally read this book. It had been sitting on my book shelf for a number of years already. I purchased it from Border Books - that should give a hint as to how long I've had that book taking up space.
I was 14 in 1968 and all that was going on was sort of vague. I could not help but notice that something was up, but from afar. Reading this book helped tie up a bunch of loose ends and explain events that I kinda, sorta heard about, but didn't really understand.
Well worth reading, especially because following the events of that year, a lot of changes occurred, though not exactly the way in which people were hoping they would. Ironic actually.
Near the end I was struck by the following statement in the book. At the end of Johnson's term as president, chief justice Earl Warren resigned. Several politicians, feeling that Nixon would win the election did not want Johnson to appoint a new supreme court chief justice. As Robert Griffin (R, Mich) pointed out: "Of course, a lame duck president has the constitutional power to submit nominations for the Supreme Court, but the Senate need not confirm them." Nothing is actually new, is it?

I've been waiting for this book for the past 49 years. Thank you!

Amazing book, the modern day parallels are startling. I'm a fan of this author so when I saw the book at the library book sale several years ago I snapped it up. Been meaning to read it ever since and after fits and starts I did. Several narratives around the world make for some twists and turns but I followed along. I feel like I learned a lot and as mentioned, some of the events were reminiscent of TODAY'S headlines.