1973 Nervous Breakdown Watergate, Warhol, and the Birth of Post-Sixties America

by Killen, Andreas

• ISBN13: 9781596910607
• ISBN10: 1596910607
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-04-03
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA

Summary

1973 marked the end of the 1960s and the birth of a new cultural sensibility. A year of shattering political crisis, 1973 was defined by defeat in Vietnam, Roe v. Wade, the oil crisis and the Watergate hearings. It was also a year of remarkable creative ferment. From landmark movies such asThe Exorcist,Mean Streets,andAmerican Graffitito seminal books such asFear of FlyingandGravity's Rainbow,from the proto-punk band the New York Dolls to the first ever reality TV show,The American Family, the cultural artifacts of the year reveal a nation in the middle of a serious identity crisis.1973 Nervous Breakdownoffers a fever chart of a year of uncertainty and change, a year in which post-war prosperity crumbled and modernism gave way to postmodernism in a lively and revelatory analysis of one of the most important periods in the second half of the 20th century. Andreas Killenis Assistant Professor of History at the City College of New York. He is the author ofBerlin Electropolis, and his writing has appeared inSalonandThe New York Times Magazine. 1973 marked the end of the 1960s and the birth of a new cultural sensibility. A year of shattering political crisis, 1973 was defined by defeat in Vietnam, Roe v. Wade, the oil crisis and the Watergate hearings. It was also a year of remarkable creative ferment. From landmark movies such asThe Exorcist,Mean Streets,andAmerican Graffitito seminal books such asFear of FlyingandGravity's Rainbow,from the proto-punk band the New York Dolls to the first ever reality TV show,The American Family, the cultural artifacts of the year reveal a nation in the middle of a serious identity crisis. 1973 Nervous Breakdownoffers a fever chart of a year of uncertainty and change, a year in which post-war prosperity crumbled and modernism gave way to postmodernism in a lively and revelatory analysis of one of the most important periods in the second half of the 20th century. "A fascinating read,1973 Nervous Breakdownis a detailed psychoanalysis of one of the darkest, most formative and oddly exuberant years in American consciousness. This was the era when today's political and cultural fault lines were beginning to emerge, and Andreas Killen does a masterful job weaving this essential history of our time.1973 Nervous Breakdownis far out."--Evan Wright, author ofGeneration Kill "Smart and insightful . . . [1973 Nervous Breakdown] leave[s] the reader with a palpable sense of how the legacy of the 70's . . . reverberates to this day in America."--Michiko Kakutani,The New YorkTimes "What makes1973a novel contribution to the genre is Killen's assured, interdisciplinary approach to the material. With recurring themes of paranoia, surveillance and fame, the author ties together many seemingly disparate phenomena with much aplomb."--Time OutChicago "A fascinating read,1973 Nervous Breakdownis a detailed psychoanalysis of one of the darkest, most formative and oddly exuberant years in American consciousness. This was the era when today's political and cultural fault lines were beginning to emerge, and Andreas Killen does a masterful job weaving this essential history of our time.1973 Nervous Breakdownis far out."--Evan Wright, author ofGeneration Kill "Killen makes a winning case . . . for seeing 1973 as a harbinger of our times in the matter of belief, charting the rise not just of Me Decade cults . . . but also of fundamenta

Author Biography

Andreas Killen is Assistant Professor of History at the City College of New York. He is the author of Berlin Electropolis, and his writing has appeared in Salon and the New York Times Magazine.

Table of Contents

“Smart and insightful…[1973 Nervous Breakdown] leave[s] the reader with a palpable sense of how the legacy of the 70's...reverberates to this day in America.”—Michiko Kakutani, New York Times

 

“[A] high-definition snapshot, both nostalgic and perceptive, of a transitional time.”
—Library Journal (starred review)

“What makes 1973 a novel contribution to the genre is Killen's assured, interdisciplinary approach to the material. With recurring themes of paranoia, surveillance and fame, the author ties together many seemingly disparate phenomena with much aplomb.”
—Time Out Chicago

Supplemental Materials

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

Rewards Program

Currently unavailable