Framing the Sixties is a smart, important and impressively researched account of the decade that far too often is reduced to clichés by the left and the right. This book will be invaluable to anyone eager to know the real story behind the political and cultural consequences of that tumultuous time.–Tom Brokaw, author of
Boom! Talking About the Sixties This fine book illustrates the truth of the maxim that history is what the present wants to know about the past. To understand why the meaning of the 1960s remains a critical matter for both conservatives and liberals, Bernard von Bothmer's careful study is the place to start.–Michael Kazin, co-author,
America Divided: The Civil War of the 1960s No decade of recent U.S. history has been mythologized like the Sixties. Historian Bernard von Bothmer has done a marvelous job of setting the historical record straight in
Framing the Sixties. Instead of relying on staid orthodoxy von Bothmer analyzes the spin factor irresponsibly promulgated by both right and left. A truly important and essential study.–Douglas Brinkley, author of
Tour of Duty: John Kerry and the Vietnam War The Sixties: Ronald Reagan cherry-picked what he wanted and used the rest as a reason to oppose government; George H. W. Bush condensed them into the 'Vietnam Syndrome' that he used for another war; Bill Clinton ran parallel to the decade for political safety; George W. Bush twisted the Sixties to defeat one of its iconic figures, John Kerry. These framings, richly sourced for us with interviews with high-level Republicans and Democrats and speeches archived in presidential libraries, will be the crown jewel in syllabi for Sixties courses.–Jerry Lembcke, author of
Hanoi Jane: War, Sex, and Fantasies of Betrayal This is a smartly written work on the political uses and misuses of history. . . . An excellent analysis. Essential.–
Choice Provides a fine winning account of a decade of U. S. history. . . . College-level American history collections strong in political and social analysis need this.–
Midwest Book Review With the advent of popular 24/7 cable news channels, Americans have become even more addicted to the news than ever before. Depending on one's age, however, one is likely to perceive it in different ways. For the political junky, there is a very interesting look at the 1960s and how it shaped politics. . . . With a historian's precision the author shows how that decade and the one that followed shaped the nation's political choices.–
Bookviews by Alan Caruba Von Bothmer details numerous overgeneralizations, misstatements of facts, and revised personal biographies as politicians adjust their ideas and past actions to modern political trends.–
Journal of American History Sharply argued, provocative, and accessible,
Framing the Sixties is destined to find a place on the bookshelves of scholars and in the syllabi of courses dealing with the presidency, public memory, and the 1960s.–
Register of the Kentucky Historical Society