Jim Cullen

Bridge and Tunnel Boys by Jim Cullen is the type of book that will make a reader both think about the interplay between society at-large and popular culture, in this case music, as well as generate plenty of nostalgia. Okay, that second one is for older (less young?) readers like me.

The careers of Springsteen and Joel are told pretty much in tandem, which highlights the similarities and differences between them as well as the part society played in their work and reception. Even having lived through the period and been a fan I was struck by some of the things I either didn't know or didn't remember. How they were perceived by audiences (and misunderstood by senile politicians) and reviewed by critics makes for fascinating reading with the benefit of hindsight.

The biographical comparisons were intriguing, though I have to admit I found the sociological aspects more up my alley. For those readers primarily interested in their lives will find a lot here of interest, especially when taken together. Depending on your familiarity with them, you may be surprised by some of the things they have in common. Understand, however, "in common" doesn't mean identical, which is why a Jersey boy and Long Island (though born in the Bronx) boy can have those very things in common: they were raised on the periphery of Manhattan, what many think of when they think NYC. Thus, the title, Bridge and Tunnel Boys.

As for the nostalgia, this will vary from reader to reader. I thought about places I've lived, about the times I saw them in concert (Springsteen five times but Joel only once), how some of their songs made me feel, which albums I constantly revisit even today, and the social and political events and changes that have happened over the last half century. Yes, I ended up going back and listening to a lot of their music (mostly Joel since I've read several Springsteen books lately and have listened to more of him recently). If you are or were a fan of either of these artists, you will likely experience some of the same types of flashbacks, er, I mean memories.

Definitely recommended for fans of theirs, this is a very accessible and enjoyable read. This is also ideal for music historians and those who study/teach any area studies where the intersection of society and popular culture are analyzed.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.… (más)

An in-depth look at the cultural, political, and social trends of 1980, rightly seen as a time of major transition in American society.

The author explores in depth the 1980 Presidential campaign as well as the music, the books, the television shows, and the movies which defined 1980. The author goes to great lengths to show the fading of many of the cultural and social trends which had defined the 1970s and even all the way back to the end of WWII by 1980 and the points of emergence of a new, laissez-faire conservative perspective. The author concluded with an analysis of the 1980 election and how it ushered in the Eighties as we understand it, and seeing in the events of 2001, 2008, and 2020 the final end of the age inaugurated in 1980.

The work is interesting but has a "laundry list" feel to it: the author felt compelled to discuss almost everything, and in the process the analysis and the explanation of importance got lost. In many ways it is important to make it clear how things were changing around 1980 since new generations have arisen which did not live to see it; and yet plenty of eulogies have been made for the spirit of the 1980s and yet somehow many of its platitudes and ideologies persist. Only in future generations will there be sufficient distance to be able to better assess such things. But for now this is an accessible work to explain a pretty important year in American history.

**--galley received as part of early review program… (más)

1980: America's Pivotal Year, by Jim Cullen, is an interesting and well-presented argument for just what the title claims. Even if you don't come away thinking it is THE pivotal year one can't argue with the fact it was A pivotal year.

The book is thematically organized, so while some discussion within each chapter may cross media lines, the chapter is about a particular medium or topic (film, music, publishing, politics primarily because it was an election year, etc). This works well for both presenting each case and for then showing the cumulative effect.

Don't let an asinine review from a "Dr" (should all of us who could use that designation do so, or just the self-righteous?) keep you from reading the book. Trump is mentioned no more than most figures that came after 1980 so it is the Dr's bias that is showing, not the writer's. This is not about the decade of the 80s, as reading the entire title would tell most people, but this guy must either have a serious reading comprehension problem or just skimmed some of the text to be able to make a very poor and slanted review. Especially since these aren't even remotely "lists," though a number of examples are mentioned to show how the work Cullen centered each chapter on is pivotal. But those examples have a discussion explaining why he believes they make good examples. Emeritus, yeah, from U of North Podunk, all while working for investment firms through an "information services" company. And his (mostly edited by rather than written by) publications and expertise is in the economics of media, not the social and cultural influences or ramifications, so he is as "expert" as whoever the next person you may see is. In other words, not one. Enough about that hideous excuse for an "educator."

If you were at least a teenager in 1980 (I was past that) you will remember a lot of what is in here but perhaps not the way Cullen contextualizes it. Additionally, if you tended toward the less popular in an area you may well not be as aware of just how popular (numbers and profit wise) some of these examples were. I personally wasn't watching much TV at the time so while I knew, for example, that Dallas was a big deal, we didn't gather 'round the reactor on the sub and discuss episodes.

Yes, there is a lot of political discussion throughout, in large part because it was an election year and in large part because the way politics pivoted from that point until now is the single strongest argument for 1980 being pivotal. From two parties that warred but understood that democracy requires compromise, to a two-party system where they are both to the right of center and the one furthest to the right has authoritarian leanings.

While my comment, and the blatantly dishonest review from numbnuts, gives the impression the book is largely a political book, it isn't. In fact, until I saw that just mentioning facts brought a "dr" to full-fledged lies, it was largely a trip down memory lane that made me think, for each area, to what degree I agreed. And the argument Cullen makes holds pretty well for the separate areas as well as for the country as a whole.

Recommended for those who might remember 1980 and want to reconsider the year as an important one as well as social historians who enjoys looking at how various threads in our society influences each other.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.… (más)

The American Dream - home ownership, doing better than your parents' generation did, from rags to riches, the pursuit of happiness. In The American Dream: A Short History of an Idea That Shaped a Nation Jim Cullen explores the famous notion that was coined by James Truslow Adams in The Epic of America in 1931. Starting with the Puritans, Cullen goes on by discussing the role of the Declaration of Independence, the concept of upward mobility, the struggle towards equality, home ownership and the frontier.

I found this short volume quite helpful in deepening my understanding of the development of the American Dream. There is so much talk nowadays that the American Dream is changing, that it is withering, fading away, even dying or already dead. To my mind, however, that is too simple. One should understand that the concept of a 'dream' can never offer guarantees and that the American Dream cannot be achieved without effort. While it once meant tomake it in life through hard work and against all odds, people nowadays tend to think that the right to 'life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness' means that you can just wait for success to happen, your career to unfold and for wealth to come to you. The American Dream is changing, yes. But it has to. You won't be able to claim 160 acres of land anymore (as you could under the Homestead Act in 1862), you are not very likely to move to California to dig for gold and become rich. However, there is so much more to the American Dream than wealth or material possessions. I found The American Dream: A Short History of an Idea That Shaped a Nation a very intelligent book that helps (re-)understand the concept and the background of the American Dream. 4 stars.… (más)