The 60s were the defining years of my life. In 1961, I turned 13 so all of my formative teenager were lived during this tumultuous decade. When I think back on those years and some of the things that were accomplished, I wonder if I am remembering it correctly. Frye Gaillard's new book was a reminder for me of all that went on in those years. Some people will view A HARD RAIN as a history book, I view it as a way to remember.

A HARD RAIN is a large book divided up by years in the 60s and the significant events of each year. It combines politics, the assassinations of JFK, RFK and MLK, the Vietnam protests, the civil rights movement, the women's movement and so much more. Plus it recognizes the strong role that music played in this decade - Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Motown so many others. Reading this book brought back so many memories to me - both happy and sad. This is a book that will stay on my bookshelves as reference to dig down deeper into some of my fading memories.

The author says it best: “There are many different ways to remember the sixties,” Gaillard writes, “and this is mine. There was in these years the sense of a steady unfolding of time, as if history were on a forced march, and the changes spread to every corner of our lives. As future generations debate the meaning of the decade, I hope to offer a sense of how it felt to have lived it. A Hard Rain is one writer’s reconstruction and remembrance of a transcendent era ― one that, for better or worse, lives with us still.”

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own. ( )