The Gifted Generation: When Government Was Good

Goldfield (America Aflame), professor of history at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, traces the arc of his own baby boomer generation in this solid survey of postwar America. The book’s title is somewhat misleading; Goldfield is referring to the privilege of decent governance into which his cohort was born and in which it was raised. He argues that the “first boomers” (those born in the 1940s and early ’50s) lived for their early years under a government that worked—and did so on everyone’s behalf. This is a traditional history, mostly of public affairs, but it doesn’t avoid major social and cultural developments, and it’s replete with nicely wrought sketches of well- and lesser-known figures. The book’s strengths are its measured tone, lively prose, and comprehensive coverage. Goldfield is not afraid to offer judgments on policies and public figures, writing for example that the Kennedy administration “projected an image based more on appearance than on substance,” and, more controversially, that “liberal attacks on the 1965 Moynihan report were a mistake.” Seeking evenhandedness, Goldfield is too easy on his own generation. He also omits extended discussion of many topics (such as problems faced by inner cities), and there’s no overarching theme. But the book is among the better surveys to emerge of the past six decades. (Nov.)