I was so disappointed by this book. I was expecting a comprehensive book about the time period. What we got instead was biographical slivers from the lives of prominent young adult non-fiction writers. While I did find them interesting, it was such a oddly missed opportunity to create an amazing historical non-fiction book by the best authors in the business.

When I look for a history book, I am looking for something that gives a well rounded view of the situation. I am looking for both sides to be represented, or at the very least explained. This book tells only one side, one age group of this time. It is basically a compilation of what each individual authors thought of a revolutionary movement of the time and the author's interaction with said event. It was a compilation of student activists. There was no lead up, no explanation what the issues were, all that was said were older people were repressive.

The introduction for the book was the most troubling to me. I respect many of these authors and think they are generally good, but there was so much talk about how 'history needs to be rewritten based on today' and 'if you want to hear the other side they can write their own book'. I guess I expect more from historical writers. That they would have the courtesy to at least explain what the point of view was of the people they were rebelling against. At the very least it would help the reader understand and empathize with your perspective. The book assumes you know about the time period and that the reader has the same beliefs as the authors do, without really laying out what that point of view entails. For example, it would be especially useful when explaining the section about students protesting Vietnam. The only reason given was old people are repressive and people were dying. That happens in every war, so it would be helpful to explain why at that time their actions were revolutionary and necessary.

'1968' suffered from the authors being too personally close to the product. Too many assumptions.
They were unable to see how people reading the book who were not alive during the time, may not understand or know about events leading up to this, or the zeitgeist of the country. The other side was not presented in many of the chapters, or if it was, simply called bad. It would have been more helpful to explain what that side believed so the reader could ascertain why it was wrong and must change. If they had described the book as 'young adult non fiction writers explore their personal connection to revolutionary movements of 1968', that would have been a better explanation of what the book really is. The theme seemed to be the young are correct about everything and must change the world, as these writers did in their time. Now that the authors of this book, who described their actions this way, are old, I wonder if they would appreciate being similarly thought of, if they want the youth to think of them as ignorant merely because of their age. Many of the very people the authors praised as leaders in the book were older than them, around 40, yet the premise of the book seems to be the young are the only ones with the answers. It's a bit of a dichotomy. ( )

It is often said that every historical event or era has as many versions as the number of people who were there. The year 1968 is certainly no exception – what I experienced as a college student was quite different from what my husband went through (and knew about) as a Marine in Viet Nam. We both enjoyed this collection of essays. Some simply served as reminders and some offered different viewpoints that we had no way of hearing then. Those on DNA and computers presented an aspect of that year that neither of us was aware of at the time.

As a retired high school librarian, I would recommend this as supplementary material for American history students. They should appreciate hearing about events they have studied from the viewpoint of those who were young adults at the time. The Nightly News sections help to tie the essays together; the Author Notes (in most cases) help to expand our image of those authors as people.

I received a free copy of this book through LibraryThing in exchange for a review. ( )

This book was phenomenal! It would be a great way to teach nonfiction in a different way, or in a way that a reluctant reader might enjoy learning about this time period. Each part of the book is dedicated to discussing an important rebellion, revolution, or major event during 1968. However, each section is written by various authors, and other famous figures, and are written in multi-genre style. For example, the beginning starts out similar to a newspaper/news set up introducing the Vietnam War. Another part of the book talks about a daughter of a Chinese immigrants who grew up in China during times of hardship and rebellion within 1968. Each part of the book is exciting because you never know how the topics will be approached with its format and style. Definitely is a book I would share with anyone interested in learning more about this time period, or anything about history. Also, this book would be best suited for high school age students and up. ( )

1968: TODAY’S AUTHORS EXPLORE A YEAR OF REBELLION, REVOLUTION, & CHANGE edited by Marc Aronson and Susan Campbell Bartoletti explores different perspectives on this turbulent and pivotal year.

From Mark Kurlansky to Jim Murphy and Loree Griffin Burns, the book is filled with engaging short works by fourteen award-winning nonfiction authors. Whether exploring personal experiences through memoir or examining a specific theme in a focused essay, each author puts a different spin on the year. While the book covers well-known topics, it also explores many themes not covered by other books on this time period.

The book begins with an introduction to the year 1968. The editors then divided the year into four sections. Author notes, source notes, a selected bibliography, and index are included.

Librarians will find this book to be a solid addition to the nonfiction collection. While the book would benefit from additional illustrators and primary source documents, the short work format will appeal to many readers. Ask youth to use one of the nonfiction works to jumpstart an inquiry project.

Published by Candlewick Press in September 2018. ARC courtesy of the publisher. ( )

1968 is a year that shines in the youth of today as a magical year. For some it was. For some it was another year. We lost two important statesmen to assassination that year - Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King. That was sad. There was international social upheaval. True. But as someone who lived through '68, I don't recall it being more or less memorable than pretty much any other year.

Thus saying, I enjoyed this book very much because it tells the story of those who were deeply affected by that year and those to whom the year is just another year during which we grew.
In a series of essays, the authors tell us of their experiences on long bike rides to craziness on campuses as students faught the establishment.
I totally reccomment this book. Great for the bedside - ( )