Century

Brewster, Todd; Jennings, Peter; Brewster, Tod

ISBN 10: 055347751X ISBN 13: 9780553477511

Publisher: Random House Audio, 1998

Synopsis

What was it like to see the Wright Brothers soar into the air?  To hear the first crackling voice coming over the radio?  To cower in the ghastly trenches of Europe during World War I?  To lose everything in the stock market crash of 1929, or experience the birth of rock and roll?  To watch the Berlin Wall divide East and West, then, twenty-eight years later, see it fall?  For the past six years, researchers, reporters, and producers for ABC News have searched the world's archives for revealing historical images and sounds, consulted leading historians, and interviewed hundreds of eyewitnesses to the significant moments of this most eventful one hundred years in human history.

The result is this spectacular 15-part audio series, the companion to the landmark ABC News television series The Century.  Produced by ABC News for the ABC Television Network and for a separate series for The History Channel, The Century is a sweeping retrospective of the people and events that have shaped this century.  Featuring extensive archival recordings, including many selections added exclusively for this audio series, The Century brings the events of the past hundred years into contemporary focus.  Anchored by Peter Jennings and featuring fascinating first-person accounts of the great moments of our times, The Century tracks major themes of the past hundred years--the impact of technology, the soaring of the imagination, the growth of violence, the increasing primacy of entertainment.  Through chronological parts recounting the signal moments of each era, The Century brings us the perspective of the many men and women who shaped our time, ordinary people who lived these events, through their own words.

The Century presents history as it was lived, in the voices of those who lived it, and as it will be remembered for the next hundred years.  Here is a keepsake that every individual, family and scholar must own: an epic journey through the twentieth century, whose heroes are our grandparents, our parents, ourselves.

About this title

Review:

"We have sought," write Peter Jennings and Todd Brewster, "to distinguish our story from other histories by holding each chapter up to a litmus test: Have we looked at this time from the perspective of someone who lived through it? And in doing so, have we captured a sense not only of the events of a particular era, but of the mood, the prevailing attitudes?" Thus, the experiences of ordinary men and women come to life in sidebars that appear throughout The Century. Sharpe James, the mayor of Newark, New Jersey, recalls the sense of excitement and possibility he felt when Jackie Robinson became the first black ballplayer in the major leagues. Gilles Ryan remembers what it was like to be a high-school student in Dayton, Tennessee, during the Scopes Trial. Connie Chang talks about emigrating to the United States from Korea and establishing a liquor store in Los Angeles, only to have it destroyed in the civil unrest.

Comparisons to Harold Evans's The American Century are, perhaps, inevitable, but in addition to the emphasis on ordinary lives, The Century is further distinguished by the effective use of color photography (as well as several black-and-white shots). The book's sweeping narrative, shaped by Jennings and Brewster's comprehensive text, also flows a bit more smoothly than Evans's telegraphic prose; one can almost imagine Jennings reciting from these pages as he hosts the ABC/History Channel documentaries to which this book is a companion piece.

From the Publisher:

A magnificent chronicle of the extraordinary twentieth century. Fascinating first-person accounts. Rare archival images. A keepsake for every family.

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House Audio
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 055347751X
• ISBN 13: 9780553477511
• Binding: Audio Cassette