Review: Playing with Fire: The 1968 Election and the Transformation of American Politics by Lawrence O'Donnell

Title: Review: Playing with Fire: The 1968 Election and the Transformation of American Politics
Author: Lawrence O'Donnell
Publisher: Penguin Press
Publication Date: November 1, 2017
Edition: ebook
Genres:

• Nonfiction
• History
• Politics

My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lawrence O'Donnell brought me back to 1968 and taught me more about that year then I knew having lived through it. It was a tumultuous time in America in so many ways. The war in Vietnam. Protests against the war. The assassination of two political leaders, Dr. Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy. Many cultural changes as well. This book recounts the politics of the time, and puts 1968 in the context of those changes and provides perspective in terms of our political situation as it is today.

I was fascinated by the detailed history of the politics of the time especially the ins and outs of the candidates campaigns and the Democratic and Republican conventions of 1968. As you read about them, you may conclude that the reality of 1968 is stranger than fiction. The emotion of the time leaps at you from the pages. Growing up in the 60s, I was old enough to understand much of what was happening in 1968. But this book filled in the landscape even more.

If you are interested in United States history, I highly recommend this book. Even if you just want an exciting read, this book will not disappoint.