1960

 Hello Everyone!

Today I want to talk about yet another nonfiction book. I recently finished a book called Countdown 1960  by CNN news anchor Chris Wallace. This recently published book focuses on the Year 1960 as hinted in the title but also relates it to modern-day society. 

In the year 1960, a lot was going on within the United States but the main focus was the presidential race. It all starts on January 2nd when John F. Kennedy announces that he is going to be running for President. The book goes through a lot of decision-making that went into Kennedy's run to the Whitehouse such as his selection of Lyndon B. Johnson as his running mate. 

Although wanting to give a historical background, Countdown 1960 doesn't just focus on the surface politics of the presidential race. Wallace introduces influential characters at the time such as civil rights activists, Hollywood actors, and other world leaders. He uses these characters to further explain the significance and show the many factors impacting the election of 1960. I feel he does a good job of using these important figures as a way to add analysis to the book about the election.

I definitely enjoyed reading this book although there are many books out there about this topic and nothing major stood out to me about Countdown 1960 compared to what other books about this topic have presented me. I would recommend this book if you are interested in history as I think it is an informative read. Furthermore, if you are interested in history books this book is part of Chris Wallace's "Countdown" series which includes Countdown to Bin Ladin and Countdown 1945. I haven't read these books yet but I will definitely try to get my hands on one of them for a nice spring break read.

Thanks and have a wonderful day, Jameson