1968 The Year That Rocked the World

The assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Bobby Kennedy; riots at the Democratic National Convention; Prague Spring; the antiwar movement and the Tet Offensive; Black Power; women's liberation; and student uprisings from Warsaw to Berkeley. Mark Kurlansky can be forgiven for saying that the momentous events of 1968 transformed us and gave us the world in which we live today. His book on the subject is absorbing, whether you agree or disagree with his thesis. English actor Christopher Cazenove reads with evident interest, and just enough verve to emphasize the excitement of events without overdramatizing. He highlights the repetitive rhythm of Kurlansky's writing in a way that makes it easy to listen to, not metronomic. Even his occasional British pronunciation of an American name is all right; after all, this is an international story--as much about Warsaw as it is about Berkeley. A.C.S. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 04]