Book Review: The '60s Diary by Howard Reiss

 

The '60s Diary is a coming of age story with a twist: 70-year-old Rose is reading the diary she started when she was 10-year-old Rosie. The story alternates between Rosie's diary entries and Rose's comments on them.

Because, obviously, Rose knows what's coming next she also comments on that and occasionally wishes she could warn Rosie or give her advice on what's ahead for her.

The story centers on Rosie and her boyfriend Bobby, who she met in grade school after he moved from California. It includes everything you would expect from a first-love story, and a little bit more, but the author tells it so beautifully it doesn't seem old or trite. Readers know very early on that Rosie and Bobby don't end up together, but we don't know why until a bit later. The events leading up to that “why” aren't explained until the last part of the book.

We also learn about Rosie's mother, a stay-at-home mom who wanted to be a teacher, but married young right after World War II. Her insurance salesman father has anger and control issues. Bobby's mother is an alcoholic who suffers from depression. Rosie's best friends, Lucy and Maggie who come from different backgrounds than Rosie, are also a big part of the story.

The book also touches on the important events of the decade as seen through the eyes of a girl Rosie's age: The assassination of JFK, the moon landing (and other NASA events) and Woodstock among them.

One of my favorite parts about reading is finding a character that I know will stick with me a long time after I finish the book. Rosie is one of those characters.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.