Especially descriptive and accurate about the 2000s
357443
So much discussion of mixed-race marriages are anecdotal or produced in fictional genres.  However, here Murguia provides empirical work to illustrate the dynamics of Chicano-Anglo marriage.  This was not "Fools Rush In":  it's standard, yet rigorous sociology and statistics.  Yes, he makes predictable hypotheses:  Those in the city are more likely to outmarry; those born in the US are more likely to outmarry, those with English first names are more likely to outmarry.  Still, he uses marriage data from four Southwestern towns (varying in size, state location, and proximity to Mexico) to test his ideas.

This book is short in page length.  However, so much sociological data is thrown around, the reader must take her or his time reading what is stated.  Unlike other writings where the conclusions are just space filler, with this text they become essential for all of us who have forgotten the complex statistical terms we may, or may not, have learned in college classrooms or, as of now, Advance Placement courses in high school.  After awhile, I had to shorten things just to make it comprehensible.  Endogamous became "same-race marriage"; exogamous became "mixed marriage"; "Spanish-surnamed" became Chicano; and "non-Spanish-surnamed" became Anglo.  This book uses data from 1969 and 1974.  Since the book was published in 1982, I am surprised that Murguia didn't have more recent data.  Maybe this Internet age has spoiled me, however.

There are some things missing.  Murguia use a lot of proxy categories.  He only speaks of Anglo-Chicano mixed marriage, but what about Blacano marriages?  He mentions Catholic-Protestant mixing, but what about Jews who marry Chicanos?  He couldn't get info on the skin complexions of individuals, but I wonder if light-skinned Mexican Americans outmarry at much higher rates than Mexican Americans with more indigenous characteristics.

Oftentimes, authors have the same identities as their subjects.  Rachel Moran wrote on mixed marriages; she is a product of one.  Marjorie Garber wrote on bisexuality, and that is how she identifies.  The back sleeve shows that Murguia is clearly Chicano.  In this acknowledgment page, he thanks his wife, Maria Concepcion: presumably she shares his ethnicity.  Murguia basically champions mixed-race marriages, yet he seems to be a Latino man who chose a Latina bride.  I wonder why this subject interests him?

One thing is true: his predictions bare out.  In his study, 16% of Chicanos outmarry.  The numbers now are around 33% and growing.  Though this book feels dated at times, it is still prescient.
4351902
I remember that history was one of my least interested and weakest subjects when I was in junior secondary school. It's not until recently that I started to realize I should know more about what's going on in the world. And I bought this book.
This 450-page book consists of 27 chapters, grouped in 5 parts, namely The Framework of the Century, The Eurocentric World 1900-1945, The Cold War 1945-1900, The Wider World, and finally Envoi.
Part 1 is an overall review of the century from different points of views, science, technology, economy, politics, culture and art. This gives you a very brief yet concise idea of what the century is like, what happened, and what were eventually the consequences.
Part 2, a very exciting part, tells about the politic and military situations in the two world wars.
Part 3 is on the post-war period after the second World War. This tells you about the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, and its influences.
Part 4 is dedicated to the development of areas other than Europe and the U.S. If you are interested in the history of a specific area other than those dominant countries in the century, or if you would like to look wider than just those countries, this part surely gives you what you want.
And finally Part 5 concludes the 20th century and looks forward to the 21st century.
This book did a very good job in trying to gather different opinions. The 27 chapters were actually written by 26 leading professionals, including Nobel prize winner Steven Weinberg. As each chapter is dedicated to one particular interest, you can easily jump to where you are interested - if that's what you prefer.
In conclusion, this book is a very good choice for anyone, who want to widen their world view and know more about the 20th century, a remarkable century in human history that makes today's world the way it is.
2799229
Overall, this was a very good book.  Stylistically, as expected, it reminded me greatly of 2001, so if you liked 2001, you'll probably enjoy 2010 as well.  What is interesting is to see how much Clarke sees the world developing over the 9 years since 2001.  One area that I didn't enjoy was the change in geography.  While not a spoiler, 2001 has a lot of book take place en route to and in the Saturn system.  However, because the 2001 movie took place in the Jupiter system, this book assumes that the events that occurred in 2001 in fact occurred in the Jupiter system, which is very inconsistent.
488575
This book is an accurate depiction of the reality. Even the 2002 version of the book called out whatever is going to happen with uncanny accuracy. I know the updates to 2009 are weak. However, this is the one source of truth and you don't want to miss knowing the truth. It took quite some time for the excesses to unwind and once it starts unwinding, the outcome is more or less on the lines of what Bob has prognosticated.

thanks,
Suresh
1916292
Born in Rhodesian in '42 and only left in 2011 I was well acquainted with the history which I must say was fairly and accurately represented throughout. The introduction of the British element which was pervasive in the history of the country was cleverly done and again accurately represented the general picture. For me it was a trip down memory lane, very accurate and persuasive. I enjoyed it.
2016722
Although there are still some of the quaint anecdotes from years gone by like the guy with the dentures on the cart and stuff about Pam Reynolds' experience. There is also a lot of newer information and explanations of things like G-forces causing OBEs and NDEs. He looks at the real facts instead of the assumptions made by either side (materialism and afterlife believers and experiencers) I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I thought I had read all the pertinent information out there on the subject. Well worth your time.
3515264
It is as relevant today as it was when it was made (2010?). Spot-on!
1492452
I love this book because it's a real, accurate look at how people wrote and behaved back in this era.
127497
Good read with a timelines that jumps back and forth from the 1940's to 2006.  Well developed characters.
3385436
I grew up in the NY metro area and got to know the City in the 1970s, so Richard Hell's descriptions resonated fully for me.  I was also familiar with many of the bands and personalities discussed in the book, so again, his stories and recollections helped expand upon my own understanding of that period and place.  I suspect that the more one knows of NYC and its music scene, particularly during the '70s, the more one will appreciate this book.
1624475
I really found the book to be insightful and revealing in many ways.  It was not condescending or feminist and gave a pretty well-rounded view of we men.  I highly recommend it to every man to help understand why we are seen the way that we are by society, by women, by other men, and by ourselves.

The book does fall short in it's "contemporary" observations...from 1998.  The constant references to Ally McBeal and other late 90's pop culture were at times difficult to take seriously, or remember for that fact.  For anyone who was not an adult at that time those references might make cloudy the points she is trying to make.  If you can see past that then you will read a great book.
4661091
Anyone interested in the postwar world and how and when its rapid changes happened should read this highly entertaining, informative and concise book.  The pictures are good too.  This book shows how we got from Point A to a faraway Point B in the space of twenty short years.  Although the book focuses on Great Britain, its tracing of the factors which formed the new world after the Second World War can be applied to the U.S. too.  We learn about how the generations changed from that of the self-sacrificing Depression/WWII era to that of the me-first/consumer/drugs and rocknroll baby boomers - all in the space of 20 years.  We learn how England rebuilt after the war, learn of the forces which shaped the changing attitudes of the new postwar generation, the rise of consumerism and leisure time, the cynicism that the draft, the Korean War and the atom bomb caused, the rise of rock and roll.  The glory days of Swinging London are recounted.  It is surprising to learn how much of those times were traded back and forth between England and the U.S.  Whether you're a bonafide babyboomer (as I am) or simply want to learn more, this is the book.  You would have to read a bunch of books to absorb the information this short, concise book provides.  I loved it!
2531332
The twenties era was always of interest to me. Mr Friedman did an excellent job of helping me see the real times. News Media was always so factual with little emotion at that time. I actually could empathize with these characters in a way that almost was sympathy until I remembered who and what they did. I am not just speaking about the gang members but every sole involved with them. This also includes the Hoover group. What a bunch of sleaze balls they were. And then we come to today and realize nothing has changed just the technology.
2486992
Close to Home by Ellen Goodman was published in 1979. The book is a selection of her columns of 1976, 1977, and 1978. The selections are divided into nine sections (number of selections in parentheses):
Our Times (17)
People (10)
Women (14)
Personals (10)
Relationships (10)
Family (7)
Parents and Children (19)
Foibles (11)
Social Issues (11)
Each selection (with month and year of original publication) is a page and a half in the book.
For those, like myself, who grew up in the late 1970s, the book is of nostalgia. I liked the selection "The Cult of Impotence" (pp. 30-1). Ellen writes, "If they ever dig down through the layers of future generations, looking for artifacts that tell something about mid-seventies America, let's hope they find John Lilly's isolation tank. It will tell them a great deal." Ellen continues to tell of the "fragmentation of society and the missed connections of our personal lives." Or, in short, "hyperindividualism," as she terms those mid-1970s in the same piece.
I enjoyed reading this book, stepping into the past and re-viewing the times through the words of Ellen Goodman.
2481181
In our hectic world of the 21st Century it seems easy to "Wax Nostaglia about the 1950's.  Images come to mind of Donna Reed, homemade fudge on the table, and innocent children playing in suburbia.
Thankfully, Mr. Packard had the courage to write this book (back then), and expose the truth behind the "housewife in pearls".

American society had been changing at a hyper rate since the eve of World War 2, and with the wars end, the march to suburbia started, highways started being built, and a pent up demand for consumer goods (many not available during the war years) resulted in strong years of economic growth.  As our nation entered the 1950's something started to change. Returning Vets from the Korean War were barely noticed, the youth of the time were branded soft and weak, and our President, Dwight Eisenhower, was a decorated war hero, but seemed ineffective in confronting domestic issues.  As an exmaple when Mr. President was asked to comment on what American's could do to end the economic slump in 1958, he responded, "Buy, Buy ANYTHING".

It was clear that as the decade wore on American Industry had a hard time keeping the economic engine humming,  and they seemed to resort to shoddy workmanship, and over the top designs to ensure that durable goods would be replaced very couple of years, either out of desire, or need.

This book foreshadowed many changes in our society that had yet to come, but have. It also mentions some
ideas that thankfully never occured, such as the idea of creating a national Holiday, known as Friendship Day, on August 1 of every year, as a way to keep retailers busy during the summer doldrums.

Read this very real take on a very misunderstood time in American History.

Ken
3502618
This book is very readable, yet also manages to explain some really important cultural forces of the 21st century in a lot of depth.  I particularly liked his explanation of the significance of web 2.0 (and what he calls New Marketing) and how it applies to sustainability issues, but there are lots of other things to recommend it too.  The format was clear and logical, and there were quite a few interesting examples to make his points really concrete.  I've got a full book review at [...]

This book is highly recommended :-)
596914
This is a pretty good book.  It came out in 2002, has some interesting stories and good pictures too.  I am a retired officer from that agency, and of course there are some things I felt should have been mentioned that were not, but it was accurate and overall, I liked it.