William Hynson’s The Transformation of America begins with an interesting memoir starting with his birth in 1932 up to the 1960 election. He spends much of this section contrasting his childhood with today’s world, for instance, how his family’s doctor charged just five dollars for house visits, or the huge popularity of radio shows which are now largely forgotten. The second part of the book focuses on the many changes in American society from the 1960’s on, both good and bad, like women’s liberation, the booming drug culture, and the influx of illegal immigration. The last chapter discusses American demographic changes, particularly how Whites are en route to becoming a minority within the US.

Hynson provides readers with a lot of thought-provoking ideas and information that I would love to have seen expanded on. For example, he mentions having traveled around East Asia while in the Army during the Korean War. This part alone make a great travelogue or memoir because I found what was given to be fascinating and I wanted more details. Later, the author discusses his company hiring women for roles beyond secretarial work for the first time in the early 1970’s. I would have loved to have understood the mindset of the men and women in those situations because those changes were culturally important.

In the section on demographic change, Hynson cites various statistics about the declining number of Whites compared to other racial groups in the United States. I was fascinated by this and I wanted to understand the implications of this demographic shift. This is a serious and sensitive subject and Hynson provides readers with an intriguing overview of the topic. The Transformation of America provides readers with a stimulating read and a sketch of growing up in pre-1960 America. Readers interested in history, politics and sociology will find this book of great interest.

Pages: 82 | ASIN: B0B8F3BYNF

Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/01/22/the-transformation-of-america/