The '60s report Book

A history that starts with the Depression as 13-19 year olds (no one called them teenagers then) are freed from the traditional burden of getting a job to help the family because there are no jobs. It continues to the 1970’s at which point teenagers have fully achieved a kind of self-determination as far as culture and identity is concerned. The economy plays an important role throughout, not just tough times, but prosperity, which is a prerequisite to cars and clothes and records. The author also documents the role of music. There’s Benny Goodman teens and Elvis Presley teens and Beatles teens. The adult world seemed to resist the development of teen culture every step of the way with one exception, marketers, for whom sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll made a sort of cha ching sound. This is a lively, interesting and altogether readable history. Having lived through a part of this period, I also found it rings true more often than not.