Looking back over the past helps us learn about ourselves and our world, as well as revive thrilling, joyful, terrifying and heartbreaking memories. The decade of the 1950s conjures up images of the advent of rock and roll with Elvis Presley, the frightening polio outbreaks, the ominous Korean War and the fascinating introduction of the color TV.
Everyone from children to adults may enjoy picking up 50s nostalgic books to get a taste of what life was like for children, teenagers, and adults during this period. On the one hand, the 1950s don’t seem like that long ago. On the other, times and technologies have changed exponentially in the last seven decades.
Author CA Hartnell has created a four-book series designed for youth today, introducing them to what their pre-teen counterparts did more than half a century ago. A wide variety of other historical authors have compiled information about pop culture, politics and daily life during this decade, providing a more factual account of these memorable ten years.
Take a look at some of these 50s books and learn more.
- Scary Spring by CA Hartnell: An exciting, yet frightening, story of two ‘tweens who must face the polio scare of 1955.
- 2. Sinister Summer by CA Hartnell: There’s nothing like driving fast cars down Route 66 in the summer of 1955. Join two who grew up in the fun 50s as they experience summertime adventures.
- Ferocious Fall by CA Hartnell: It’s not just a regular back-to-school story with classes and the typical bully. This fall, the dust storms, and crazy weather truly wreak havoc for two middle school students.
- Wild Winter by CA Hartnell: When two pre-teens decide to raise money for a community cause, a mystery evolves. Who is trying to steal the funds of such a noble cause, and will it ruin the holiday?
- 5. American Culture in the 1950s by Martin Halliwell: Take a look at American culture from books, poetry, television, and literature throughout this decade.
- The 1950s by William H. Young and Nancy K. Young: Take a walk back in time and explore the advertisements, food and drink, fashion, and music of the 1950s in this compilation of popular culture of the decade.
- The Fifties Spiritual Marketplace: American Religion in a Decade of Conflict by Robert S. Ellwood: This author explores everything from Catholicism to Zen and everything in between that colored the spiritual landscape of the 1950s.
- Politics as Usual: The Age of Truman and Eisenhower by Gary W. Reichard: Recall the age of the Fair Deal and the Korean War. Look back in the country’s political history to take a clearer look forward.
