The 2019 national summer reading theme is "A Universe of Stories" in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing. This list contains a selection of fiction, nonfiction, and movies exploring the 1960s.
See the Apollo 11 booklist for reading materials related to space achievements and space travel.
Fiction
American Pastoral
By Roth, Philip
With vigorous realism, Roth takes readers back to the conflicts and violent transitions of the 1960s.
Publisher: n/a
|
395860210
|
Book
Another Roadside Attraction
By Robbins, Tom
Robbins brings the psychedelic 60s to life.
Publisher: n/a
|
553349481
|
Paperback
Bad Boy Brawly Brown
By Walter, Mosley,
This entry in Mosley's ongoing mystery series featuring Easy Rawlins is set in 1964 Los Angeles. Easy is asked to track down the son of a friend who has joined a dangerous revolutionary political group known as The Clan of the First Men.
Publisher: n/a
|
753818353
|
Book
Freshwater Road
By Nicholas, Denise
From award-winning actress Denise Nicholas: a ten-year anniversary reissue of her dramatic coming of age story set in Mississippi during the Freedom Summer of 1964.
Publisher: n/a
|
9781572841956
|
Book
The Help
By Stockett, Kathryn
Three women join together to write a tell-all book about the work as African American maids in the South, that forever alter their destinies and the life of a small town.
The #1 New York Times bestselling novel and basis for the Academy Award-winning film , nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read.
Publisher: n/a
|
9780399155345
|
Book
Matterhorn
By Marlantes, Karl
The timeless story of a young Marine lieutenant, Waino Mellas, and his comrades in Bravo Company, who are dropped into the mountain jungle of Vietnam. Written by a highly decorated Marine veteran Matterhorn is a classic of combat literature.
Publisher: n/a
|
9780802119285
|
Book
Nora, Nora
By Siddons, Anne Rivers
Nora, Nora tells the story of free-thinking Nora Findlay who turns tiny Lytton, Georgia, on its ear in the summer of 1961.
Publisher: n/a
|
9780061874925
|
Paperback
Park Avenue Summer
By Rosen, Renée
It’s 1965 and Cosmopolitan magazine’s brazen new editor in chief—Helen Gurley Brown—shocks America and saves a dying publication by daring to talk to women about all things off-limits.
Publisher: n/a
|
9781101991145
|
Paperback
The Secret Life of Bees
By Kidd, Sue Monk
A heartwarming coming of age tale set in South Carolina in 1964. Adapted into an award-winning film starring Dakota Fanning Queen Latifah Jennifer Hudson, and Alicia Keys.
Publisher: n/a
|
670894605
|
Book
Summer of '69
By Hilderbrand, Elin
The #1 New York Times Bestseller Four siblings experience the drama, intrigue, and upheaval of a summer when everything changed, in New York Times bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand's first historical novel Welcome to the most tumultuous summer of the twentieth century. It's 1969, and for the Levin family, the times they are a-changing. Every year the children have looked forward to spending the summer at their grandmother's historic home in downtown Nantucket. But like so much else in America, nothing is the same: Blair, the oldest sister, is marooned in Boston, pregnant with twins and unable to travel. Middle sister Kirby, caught up in the thrilling vortex of civil rights protests and determined to be independent, takes a summer job on Martha's Vineyard. Only-son Tiger is an infantry soldier, recently deployed to Vietnam. Thirteen-year-old Jessie suddenly feels like an only child, marooned in the house with her out-of-touch grandmother and her worried mother, each of them hiding a troubling secret. As the summer heats up, Ted Kennedy sinks a car in Chappaquiddick, man flies to the moon, and Jessie and her family experience their own dramatic upheavals along with the rest of the country. In her first historical novel, rich with the details of an era that shaped both a nation and an island thirty miles out to sea, Elin Hilderbrand once again earns her title as queen of the summer novel.
Publisher: n/a
|
9780316420013
|
Hardcover
The summer we got saved
By Cunningham., Devoto, Pat
Embracing the conservative belief systems of her Southern hometown, Tab witnesses profound changes in the attitudes of her friends and family throughout the course of a 1960s gubernatorial campaign.
Publisher: n/a
|
9780446576963
|
Book
We Are All Welcome Here
By Berg, Elizabeth
Set during the summer of 1964, three women struggle against overwhelming odds.
Publisher: n/a
|
9781400061617
|
Book
Nonfiction
1968
By Cottrell, Robert C
Cultural historians Robert Cottrell and Blaine T. Browne provide a well-informed, up-to-date synthesis of the events that rocked the world.
Publisher: n/a
|
9781538107751
|
Book
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
By Wolfe, Tom
Wolfe's take on the hippie/acid culture of the 60s.
Publisher: n/a
|
9780312427597
|
Paperback
The Road to Woodstock
By Lang, Michael
In The Road to Woodstock, Michael Lang recaptures the magic of the historic three day concert.
Publisher: n/a
|
9780061576553
|
Book
The Vietnam War
By Ward, Geoffrey C
From the award-winning historian and filmmakers of The Civil War, a vivid, uniquely powerful history of the conflict that tore America apart and the companion volume to the major, multipart PBS film. PBS series is available from the Eustis Memorial Library in DVD format.
Publisher: n/a
|
9780307700254
|
Book
Woodstock
By Evans, Mike
A special 50th anniversary edition of our lavishly illustrated ultimate guide to Woodstock, with a day-by-day, act-by-act account of everything that went down on Yasgur's farm - along with interviews and quotes from those who were there. Woodstock defined a generation and exemplified an era: the three-day concert that took place on Yasgur's farm in Bethel, New York, from August 15-17, 1969, was unlike anything that happened before or since. Now, thanks to this special 50th-anniversary edition, you can relive the moment and go "back to the garden" with this day-by-day, hour-by-hour account of everything that happened on Yasgur's farm - including a rundown of each of the 33 acts, in the order they appeared. With interviews and quotes from those who were there and a wealth of photographs and graphic memorabilia, Woodstock is the ultimate celebration of a landmark in modern cultural history and its enduring legacy. This updated edition has a refreshed cover and features four pages of new images and updates on Woodstock today, Where They Are Now, and the Museum at Bethel Woods.
Publisher: n/a
|
9781454933366
|
Hardcover
DVDs
1969
By Robert., Downey,
A joyful and heartbreaking story that captures the music, the anger, and the innocence of the Vietnam era. Rated R.
Publisher: n/a
|
792852265
|
DVD
Chappaquiddick
By Clarke, Jason
Based on historical events, this suspenseful thriller examines the infamous 1969 death of Mary Jo Kopechne, who drowned after Senator Ted Kennedy drove off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island.
Publisher: n/a
|
9786317300774
|
DVD
Detroit Digital
By Bigelow, Kathryn
Director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal reteam for this docudrama about the Detroit race riots of July 1967. Rated R.
Publisher: n/a
|
9786317026346
|
DVD
Hairspray
By Travolta, John
During the summer of 1962, teenager Tracy Turnblad, with big hair and a big heart, wins a spot on the local TV dance program, "The Corney Collins Show" and is transformed overnight from outsider to celebrity. Rated PG.
Publisher: n/a
|
9780780658356
|
DVD
Lackawanna Blues
By Wolfe, George C
A young boy's life is shaped by the characters in the boarding house where he lives. Based on Ruben Santiago-Hudson's autobiographical play set in 1950's and 1960's Lackawanna, New York. Rated PG.
Publisher: n/a
|
783134827
|
DVD
Nina
By Saldana, Zoe
The life and story of late jazz musician and classical pianist Nina Simone, with a look at her rise to fame and the relationship between her and her manager, Clifton Henderson. Rated NR.
Publisher: n/a
|
9786316606938
|
DVD
Selma
By Oyelowo, David
Selma chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a dangerous campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition. Rated PG-13.
Publisher: n/a
|
9786315915963
|
DVD
Shag
By Barron, Zelda
Four attractive young lasses head to the surf and sand of Myrtle Beach, SC during the sumer of 1963. Rated PG.
Publisher: n/a
|
887090135016
|
DVD
Taking Woodstock
By Martin, Demetri
Inspired by the true story of Elliot Tiber. When Elliot hears that a neighboring town has pulled the permit on a music festival, he calls the producers thinking he could drum up some much-needed business for his parents' motel. Three weeks later, half a million people are on their way to his neighbor's farm. Rated PG-13.
Publisher: n/a
|
25192014017
|
DVD
Woodstock diary 1969
By 1931-2014., Douglas, Alan,
The Woodstock diary is an enthralling "Fly on the wall" documentary about the creation of Woodstock and of the actual three-day event itself. Rated NR.
Publisher: n/a
|
18755246715
|
DVD
A walk on the moon
By Authors, Diane Lane; viggo Mortensen; liev Schreiber; anna Paquin; tovah Feldshuh; Et Al; all
The personal turning point of a family in crisis is portrayed against the backdrop of the summer of 1969. Rated R.
Fiction
American Pastoral
By Roth, Philip
With vigorous realism, Roth takes readers back to the conflicts and violent transitions of the 1960s.
Another Roadside Attraction
By Robbins, Tom
Robbins brings the psychedelic 60s to life.
Bad Boy Brawly Brown
By Walter, Mosley,
This entry in Mosley's ongoing mystery series featuring Easy Rawlins is set in 1964 Los Angeles. Easy is asked to track down the son of a friend who has joined a dangerous revolutionary political group known as The Clan of the First Men.
Freshwater Road
By Nicholas, Denise
From award-winning actress Denise Nicholas: a ten-year anniversary reissue of her dramatic coming of age story set in Mississippi during the Freedom Summer of 1964.
The Help
By Stockett, Kathryn
Three women join together to write a tell-all book about the work as African American maids in the South, that forever alter their destinies and the life of a small town. The #1 New York Times bestselling novel and basis for the Academy Award-winning film , nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read.
Matterhorn
By Marlantes, Karl
The timeless story of a young Marine lieutenant, Waino Mellas, and his comrades in Bravo Company, who are dropped into the mountain jungle of Vietnam. Written by a highly decorated Marine veteran Matterhorn is a classic of combat literature.
Nora, Nora
By Siddons, Anne Rivers
Nora, Nora tells the story of free-thinking Nora Findlay who turns tiny Lytton, Georgia, on its ear in the summer of 1961.
Park Avenue Summer
By Rosen, Renée
It’s 1965 and Cosmopolitan magazine’s brazen new editor in chief—Helen Gurley Brown—shocks America and saves a dying publication by daring to talk to women about all things off-limits.
The Secret Life of Bees
By Kidd, Sue Monk
A heartwarming coming of age tale set in South Carolina in 1964. Adapted into an award-winning film starring Dakota Fanning Queen Latifah Jennifer Hudson, and Alicia Keys.
Summer of '69
By Hilderbrand, Elin
The #1 New York Times Bestseller Four siblings experience the drama, intrigue, and upheaval of a summer when everything changed, in New York Times bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand's first historical novel Welcome to the most tumultuous summer of the twentieth century. It's 1969, and for the Levin family, the times they are a-changing. Every year the children have looked forward to spending the summer at their grandmother's historic home in downtown Nantucket. But like so much else in America, nothing is the same: Blair, the oldest sister, is marooned in Boston, pregnant with twins and unable to travel. Middle sister Kirby, caught up in the thrilling vortex of civil rights protests and determined to be independent, takes a summer job on Martha's Vineyard. Only-son Tiger is an infantry soldier, recently deployed to Vietnam. Thirteen-year-old Jessie suddenly feels like an only child, marooned in the house with her out-of-touch grandmother and her worried mother, each of them hiding a troubling secret. As the summer heats up, Ted Kennedy sinks a car in Chappaquiddick, man flies to the moon, and Jessie and her family experience their own dramatic upheavals along with the rest of the country. In her first historical novel, rich with the details of an era that shaped both a nation and an island thirty miles out to sea, Elin Hilderbrand once again earns her title as queen of the summer novel.
The summer we got saved
By Cunningham., Devoto, Pat
Embracing the conservative belief systems of her Southern hometown, Tab witnesses profound changes in the attitudes of her friends and family throughout the course of a 1960s gubernatorial campaign.
We Are All Welcome Here
By Berg, Elizabeth
Set during the summer of 1964, three women struggle against overwhelming odds.
1968
By Cottrell, Robert C
Cultural historians Robert Cottrell and Blaine T. Browne provide a well-informed, up-to-date synthesis of the events that rocked the world.
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
By Wolfe, Tom
Wolfe's take on the hippie/acid culture of the 60s.
The Road to Woodstock
By Lang, Michael
In The Road to Woodstock, Michael Lang recaptures the magic of the historic three day concert.
The Vietnam War
By Ward, Geoffrey C
From the award-winning historian and filmmakers of The Civil War, a vivid, uniquely powerful history of the conflict that tore America apart and the companion volume to the major, multipart PBS film. PBS series is available from the Eustis Memorial Library in DVD format.
Woodstock
By Evans, Mike
A special 50th anniversary edition of our lavishly illustrated ultimate guide to Woodstock, with a day-by-day, act-by-act account of everything that went down on Yasgur's farm - along with interviews and quotes from those who were there. Woodstock defined a generation and exemplified an era: the three-day concert that took place on Yasgur's farm in Bethel, New York, from August 15-17, 1969, was unlike anything that happened before or since. Now, thanks to this special 50th-anniversary edition, you can relive the moment and go "back to the garden" with this day-by-day, hour-by-hour account of everything that happened on Yasgur's farm - including a rundown of each of the 33 acts, in the order they appeared. With interviews and quotes from those who were there and a wealth of photographs and graphic memorabilia, Woodstock is the ultimate celebration of a landmark in modern cultural history and its enduring legacy. This updated edition has a refreshed cover and features four pages of new images and updates on Woodstock today, Where They Are Now, and the Museum at Bethel Woods.
1969
By Robert., Downey,
A joyful and heartbreaking story that captures the music, the anger, and the innocence of the Vietnam era. Rated R.
Chappaquiddick
By Clarke, Jason
Based on historical events, this suspenseful thriller examines the infamous 1969 death of Mary Jo Kopechne, who drowned after Senator Ted Kennedy drove off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island.
Detroit Digital
By Bigelow, Kathryn
Director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal reteam for this docudrama about the Detroit race riots of July 1967. Rated R.
Hairspray
By Travolta, John
During the summer of 1962, teenager Tracy Turnblad, with big hair and a big heart, wins a spot on the local TV dance program, "The Corney Collins Show" and is transformed overnight from outsider to celebrity. Rated PG.
Lackawanna Blues
By Wolfe, George C
A young boy's life is shaped by the characters in the boarding house where he lives. Based on Ruben Santiago-Hudson's autobiographical play set in 1950's and 1960's Lackawanna, New York. Rated PG.
Nina
By Saldana, Zoe
The life and story of late jazz musician and classical pianist Nina Simone, with a look at her rise to fame and the relationship between her and her manager, Clifton Henderson. Rated NR.
Selma
By Oyelowo, David
Selma chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a dangerous campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition. Rated PG-13.
Shag
By Barron, Zelda
Four attractive young lasses head to the surf and sand of Myrtle Beach, SC during the sumer of 1963. Rated PG.
Taking Woodstock
By Martin, Demetri
Inspired by the true story of Elliot Tiber. When Elliot hears that a neighboring town has pulled the permit on a music festival, he calls the producers thinking he could drum up some much-needed business for his parents' motel. Three weeks later, half a million people are on their way to his neighbor's farm. Rated PG-13.
Woodstock diary 1969
By 1931-2014., Douglas, Alan,
The Woodstock diary is an enthralling "Fly on the wall" documentary about the creation of Woodstock and of the actual three-day event itself. Rated NR.
A walk on the moon
By Authors, Diane Lane; viggo Mortensen; liev Schreiber; anna Paquin; tovah Feldshuh; Et Al; all
The personal turning point of a family in crisis is portrayed against the backdrop of the summer of 1969. Rated R.