Book Review: A Century Turns
by: William J. Bennett
Both my husband and I read A Century Turns: New Hopes, New Fears by William J. Bennet. A historical novel is written about the end of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st Century from a Current Events and Political perspective. It combines the gossip and trends from the entertainment world and gives an account of our country’s political history. It’s William J. Bennett’s insight on the timeline of 1988 and 2008.
1988 was the year I was married; the events mentioned are those that I developed my opinions from and have expanded upon over a decade. I voted for the first time in a Presidential Election, I witnessed the end of Communism. I can tell you where I was when I heard about Kuwait, and my life was forever altered after the bombing of the World Trade Center. In this span, I’ve seen history made as a nation elected a father and a son into the White House (George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush). I watched the news report on the execution of Saddam Hussein. This has been my decade, and William J. Bennett does an excellent job of adding his wit to these world-changing events.
Too often, I scour the blogosphere for celebrity gossip–mostly Jon Bon Jovi. It’s my way of escaping reality. As I read these pages of A Century Turns, I tend to stick my head in the sand when the event is something I have no control over. It also made me open my eyes to see how my everyday life and the technology I use is impacted by the events that I close my eyes to and want to end.
My husband really loved how the book was written in a novel form but gave insight into events relevant to our adult life. He especially enjoyed the story about George H.W. Bush coming out of his shell–I won’t spoil it for those wanting to read more.
A Century Turns is a unique book giving insight into the past 20 years, and as only Wiliam J. Bennett could do, it pulls it off as a novel with witty comments, brilliant footnotes and a read that you’ll want to share. This book will leave you pondering the events that have molded our society and have you paying attention to those in the progress of shaping the next decade!
I received the book mentioned in this post to facilitate an honest review. The opinions are my own and were in no way influenced by the sponsor. Others’ experiences may vary.
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