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To write about the Baby Boom is to tackle a big project:
there are more than 75 million of us, born over the course
of nearly 20 years. There are times, in fact, when “the
oldest Baby Boomers are sometimes the parents – usually via
an oopsie – of the youngest Baby Boomers.”
Basically, though, Baby Boomers can be sorted, much like
high school, into seniors (at the beginning of the Boom);
juniors (born in the early 50s); sophomores (late 50s); and
freshmen (born at Boom’s end). This book, written by a
“senior,” nonetheless holds memories for all Boomers…
Memories like getting a new TV, though the people on
television were generally members of the “Silent
Generation,” born between our parents and us. Later, they’d
be the “anyone over 30” we weren’t supposed to trust.
When we went anywhere in our parents’ big-finned cars, we
rode in the front seat, often standing up. Houses had one
phone, connected to the wall, but we rarely used it because
yelling across several yards was the preferred neighborhood
method of communication. People wrote letters, too, or they
just “dropped over,” no appointment necessary.
Kids played outside a lot then, and parents liked it that
way. Games were fair, it didn’t matter who won, and “we ran
wild – in a rather tame manner.” We learned the Facts of
Life (and didn’t want to believe it), we spied on one
another, blew things up, had crushes, were embarrassed by
our parents and were told that we could “be or do anything.”
It was, says O’Rourke, a “good and happy place” to grow up.
Though it does sometimes descend into curmudgeon territory
and can seem somewhat growly, The Baby Boom really is
quite a pleasure.
Despite that author P.J. O’Rourke was an early Boomer (a
“senior”), there’s plenty of Universal Boomer Truths here,
and lots of nostalgia for anyone born between 1946 and 1964.
O’Rourke (largely) ignores his usual topics in this book,
instead bringing back the kinds of memories that occur when
family and friends gather – though politics peek into the
latter half of the book, and sarcastically profane humor
isn’t missing, either.
Overall, that will appeal to hip first-time readers without
disappointing long-time fans.
Better than an Ed Sullivan marathon; more enjoyable
than Beach Boys Radio Weekend; more fun than cleaning out
your parents’ attic, this book is a Boomer’s delight. If
your bags are packed for a trip down Memory Lane, The
Baby Boom is a book you’ll want to remember to take with
you. |
