Front Stoops in the Fifties

Baltimore Legends Come of Age

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, 20th Century
Cover of the book Front Stoops in the Fifties by Michael Olesker, Johns Hopkins University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Michael Olesker ISBN: 9781421411613
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press Publication: November 1, 2013
Imprint: Language: English
Author: Michael Olesker
ISBN: 9781421411613
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication: November 1, 2013
Imprint:
Language: English

Front Stoops in the Fifties recounts the stories of some of Baltimore's most famous personalities as they grew up during the "decade of conformity." Such familiar names as Jerry Leiber, Nancy Pelosi, Thurgood Marshall, and Barry Levinson figure prominently in Michael Olesker’s gripping account, which draws on personal interviews and journalistic digging.

Olesker marks the end of the fifties with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. "It’s as if millions will suddenly decide to act out their anxieties and their rage, as if Kennedy’s murder exposed some hypocrisy at the heart of the American dream," he writes. Focusing on the period leading up to this turning point in U.S. history, Olesker looks to the individuals living through the changes that were just beginning to surface and would later come to prominence in the sixties.

The fifties are often remembered with longing as a more innocent time. But it was also a suffocating time for many. Alongside innocence was ignorance. Olesker tells the story of Nancy D’Alesandro Pelosi, daughter of the mayor, who grew up in a political home and eventually became the first woman Speaker of the House. Thurgood Marshall, schooled in a racially segregated classroom, went on to argue Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka before the U.S. Supreme Court and rewrite race-relations law. Even the music changed. Olesker’s doo-wop portrait of Baltimore is nostalgic, but it has a hard edge.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Front Stoops in the Fifties recounts the stories of some of Baltimore's most famous personalities as they grew up during the "decade of conformity." Such familiar names as Jerry Leiber, Nancy Pelosi, Thurgood Marshall, and Barry Levinson figure prominently in Michael Olesker’s gripping account, which draws on personal interviews and journalistic digging.

Olesker marks the end of the fifties with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. "It’s as if millions will suddenly decide to act out their anxieties and their rage, as if Kennedy’s murder exposed some hypocrisy at the heart of the American dream," he writes. Focusing on the period leading up to this turning point in U.S. history, Olesker looks to the individuals living through the changes that were just beginning to surface and would later come to prominence in the sixties.

The fifties are often remembered with longing as a more innocent time. But it was also a suffocating time for many. Alongside innocence was ignorance. Olesker tells the story of Nancy D’Alesandro Pelosi, daughter of the mayor, who grew up in a political home and eventually became the first woman Speaker of the House. Thurgood Marshall, schooled in a racially segregated classroom, went on to argue Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka before the U.S. Supreme Court and rewrite race-relations law. Even the music changed. Olesker’s doo-wop portrait of Baltimore is nostalgic, but it has a hard edge.

More books from Johns Hopkins University Press

Cover of the book Dear Parents by Michael Olesker
Cover of the book The Handbook of Jungian Play Therapy with Children and Adolescents by Michael Olesker
Cover of the book Walker's Mammals of the World by Michael Olesker
Cover of the book Philosophical Issues in Psychiatry by Michael Olesker
Cover of the book Ex Oriente Lex by Michael Olesker
Cover of the book Soldiering for Freedom by Michael Olesker
Cover of the book The Johns Hopkins Guide to Psychological First Aid by Michael Olesker
Cover of the book The Afterlife of "Little Women" by Michael Olesker
Cover of the book Armed Political Organizations by Michael Olesker
Cover of the book Chickenizing Farms and Food by Michael Olesker
Cover of the book Literature, Religion, and the Evolution of Culture, 1660–1780 by Michael Olesker
Cover of the book Creatures Born of Mud and Slime by Michael Olesker
Cover of the book Sublime Noise by Michael Olesker
Cover of the book Understanding Topology by Michael Olesker
Cover of the book Concepts of Alzheimer Disease by Michael Olesker
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy