Book review: "Boom!" by Dean Poling

By Dean Poling

January 08, 2009 10:27 pm

— You could say the success of Tom Brokaw’s book, “The Greatest Generation,” on World War II veterans was helped by his then-status as NBC News anchor. And that would be correct. Partly. But Brokaw’s book also tapped into and made public an underlying phenomenon of national pride in the concept that the World War II era did, indeed, produce the Greatest Generation. The book appealed to all generations, the Greatest and the ones to follow. “The Greatest Generation” was an amazing book about an amazing generation. “Boom!: Voices of the Sixties” follows a similar format as “The Greatest Generation.” Brokaw combines elements of interview, reporting, and personal memoir and reflection in this engaging book about the turbulent 1960s and the Baby Boom generation, the sons and daughters of the Greatest Generation, which shaped the era known as the 1960s, which Brokaw defines as starting with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 and concluding with the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon in 1974. Brokaw’s interview subjects include political and entertainment celebrities, as well as private citizens sharing their stories — again in a similar vein as “The Greatest Generation.” Yet, whereas Brokaw’s earlier book seemed to kickstart a national dialogue from what could have been called the silent generation as well as the greatest generation, “Boom!” feels like more of the same. It is a fine book, but the Baby Boom generation has had no difficulties talking about itself for the past 30-40 years. If anything, it has over-discussed, over-aggrandized and over-celebrated itself ad nauseum through popular culture. “The Greatest Generation” attracted readers from several generations: The Greatest itself, the Boomers, and the children and grandchildren of the previous generations. “Boom!” not so much. As Brokaw himself relates, when initially discussing the idea of his ’60s book, one person asks if the retired news anchor plans on calling his latest book, “The Worst Generation.” It is not the worst, but the 60s era is indeed one of the most hyped periods in American history and will remain so, at least for a couple of more decades or so.