Negative Positive
Title: A fascinating time dissected by a skilled author
Review: David Halberstram actually contributed a catchphrase to the vernacular, "the best and the brightest," which he used as the title of another book. Not surprisingly for a Pulitzer Prize winner, THE FIFTIES is gracefully written. Not surprising for a man of author Halberstram's reputation, the scholarship displayed is admirable, both in its breadth and in its depth. Any reader with a curiosity about this fascinating decade will finish the book far better informed than at the start. If there is one flaw, it's that the subject is plumbed so comprehensively that just reading this work can, at times, become overwhelming. When it comes to writing, Halberstram is the best and the brightest!
Is the review positive or negative? 