Recent America: The United States Since 1945

by Dewey W. Grantham

Book Overview

This second edition of Recent America is an extensive revision of the first one and includes entirely new material that carries the coverage forward, from the mid-1940s to the present. The emphasis is... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0882959417
• ISBN13: 9780882959412
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: Harlan Davidson
• Length: 502 Pages
• Weight: 1.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 7.1" x 10.1"

Customer Reviews

Regrettably, there will not be another edition

This is one of my favorite books by one of my favorite college professors. I had Prof. Grantham at Vanderbilt University in the late 1970s for a course encompassing the same subject matter as the original edition of this book. Prof. Grantham not only excelled at writing as evidenced by this book, he was also an outstanding teacher. Each chapter concludes with an extensive bibliography in essay format. The bibliographies alone make the book a treat. Regrettably, Prof. Grantham passed away on Aug. 26, 2004. I believe this book will be remembered as one of the most insightful histories of the second half of twentieth century America. The book presents many facts but also provides useful context and perspective. It will be up to other historians to continue the American story. A tribute to Prof. Grantham appears at the American Historical Society's website: http://www.historians.org/Perspectives/issues/2005/0503/0503mem1.cfm The 1998 edition is actually a 3d edition. I used a mid-1970s edition in the course I took. Another edition appeared in 1987. I would surmise that the edition numbers started over because of a change in publishers.

look forward to a third edition

Grantham covers here the 50 or so years after the Second World War. When massive social and technological changes transformed American society. Most of the book concerns not so much the political events, vis a vis other nations, but the internal fluctuations and tensions inside the US, that often drove societal changes. Commendably, he also offers incisive analysis of the literature and arts of this period. Bundling all this in a chapter called "The Culture of Affluence". Indeed, the time span is long enough that we can now reasonably though cautiously take a measured understanding of such events. Many of which now have the glow of nostalgia in the popular memory. One might also wonder if the author will live long enough to write a third edition. While the coverage in the book ends around 1995, shortly after the Cold War. In the benefit of hindsight, that was a very natural stopping point for the narrative. Well, we all know what has happened in recent years. It will be interesting to see his comments in a future edition.

Great History Review of Recent History

This book was a great synopsis of recent history. It covered everything from the A-bomb to women's lib. It's only drawback is that the focus is political... I think the book might have benefited from some more information regarding social history. I read it as part of a US History class, but would recommend it to anyone for personal reading as well.