Ward (American Studies, University of Manchester) has assembled a broad variety of documents from 1960s America, including speeches, court decisions, acts of Congress, secret memos, song lyrics, cartoons, photographs, news reports, advertisements, and first-hand testimony. Ranging from an excerpt of Michael Harrington's poverty exposé, The Other America to the text of the Gulf of Tonkin resolution that authorized the escalation of the Vietnam War, and from early documents of feminism and gay liberation to Richard Nixon's acceptance speech at the 1968 Republican National Convention, the documents in this book convey the many currents of political and social change that characterized this tumultuous decade. For each document, Ward provides an introduction placing it into historical and social context. An unusually well-conceived collection, this book is an excellent supplemental text for any course dealing with U.S. politics and society during the 1960s. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)