A New World to Be Won: John Kennedy, Richard Nixon, and the Tumultuous Year of 1960

(Hardback)

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This book tells the story of 1960a tumultuous, transitional year that unleashed the forces that eventually reshaped the American nation and the entire planet, to the joy of millions and the sorrow of millions more. In 1960, attitudes were changing; barriers were falling. It was a transitional year, during which the world as we know it today was beginning to take shape. While other books have focused on the presidential contest between Kennedy and Nixon, A New World to Be Won: John Kennedy, Richard Nixon, and the Tumultuous Year of 1960 illuminates the emerging forces that would transform the nation and the world during the 1960s, putting the election in the broader context of American historyand world history as well. While the author does devote a large portion of this book to the 1960 presidential campaign, he also highlights four pivotal trends that changed life for decades to come: unprecedented scientific breakthroughs, ranging from the Xerox copier to new spacecraft for manned flight; fragmentation of the international power structure, notably the schism between the Soviet Union and China; the pursuit of freedom, both through the civil rights movement at home and the drive for independence in Africa; and the elevation of pleasure and self-expression in American culture, largely as a result of federal approval of the birth-control pill and the increasing popularity of illegal drugs.

Reviews

As the book's title indicates, the duel for the presidency between Kennedy and Nixon lies at the center of the narrative, which is appropriate since both men, as well as the legacies they left, continued to play key factors in our politics throughout the decade. But Thomas also casts a wider net. Using a month-by-month approach, he covers a variety of emerging forces, including civil rights, decolonization in the Third World, and environmentalism. This is a fine retrospective that indicates how we got here from there. * Booklist *
Thomas's book is a welcome addition to this body of literature, because his framework is broader and more wide-ranging.. . .Summing Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries. * Choice *

Author Bio

G. Scott Thomas has been a journalist for more than thirty years.