{"product_id":"front-stoops-in-the-fifties-baltimore-legends-come-of-age-paperback","title":"Front Stoops in the Fifties: Baltimore Legends Come of Age - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eMichael Olesker\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFamous Baltimoreans growing up in the fifties.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eFront Stoops in the Fifties\u003c\/i\u003e recounts the stories of some of Baltimore's most famous personalities as they grew up during the \"decade of conformity.\" Such familiar names as Jerry Leiber, Nancy Pelosi, Thurgood Marshall, and Barry Levinson figure prominently in Michael Olesker's gripping account, which draws on personal interviews and journalistic digging.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOlesker marks the end of the fifties with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. \"It's as if millions will suddenly decide to act out their anxieties and their rage, as if Kennedy's murder exposed some hypocrisy at the heart of the American dream,\" he writes. Focusing on the period leading up to this turning point in U.S. history, Olesker looks to the individuals living through the changes that were just beginning to surface and would later come to prominence in the sixties.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe fifties are often remembered with longing as a more innocent time. But it was also a suffocating time for many. Alongside innocence was ignorance. Olesker tells the story of Nancy D'Alesandro Pelosi, daughter of the mayor, who grew up in a political home and eventually became the first woman Speaker of the House. Thurgood Marshall, schooled in a racially segregated classroom, went on to argue \u003ci\u003eBrown v. Board of Education of Topeka\u003c\/i\u003e before the U.S. Supreme Court and rewrite race-relations law. Even the music changed. Olesker's doo-wop portrait of Baltimore is nostalgic, but it has a hard edge.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFront Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003ci\u003eFront Stoops in the Fifties\u003c\/i\u003e recounts the stories of some of Baltimore's most famous personalities as they grew up during the decade of conformity. Such familiar names as Jerry Leiber, Nancy Pelosi, Thurgood Marshall, and Barry Levinson figure prominently in Michael Olesker's gripping account, which draws on personal interviews and journalistic digging.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOlesker marks the end of the fifties with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. \"It's as if millions will suddenly decide to act out their anxieties and their rage, as if Kennedy's murder exposed some hypocrisy at the heart of the American dream,\" he writes. Focusing on the period leading up to this turning point in U.S. history, Olesker looks to the individuals living through the changes that were just beginning to surface and would later come to prominence in the sixties.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe fifties are often remembered with longing as a more innocent time. But it was also a suffocating time for many. Alongside innocence was ignorance. Olesker tells the story of Nancy D'Alesandro Pelosi, daughter of the mayor, who grew up in a political home and eventually became the first woman Speaker of the House. Thurgood Marshall, schooled in a racially segregated classroom, went on to argue \u003ci\u003eBrown v. Board of Education of Topeka\u003c\/i\u003e before the U.S. Supreme Court and rewrite race-relations law. Even the music changed. Olesker's doo-wop portrait of Baltimore is nostalgic, but it has a hard edge.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eFront Stoops in the Fifties\u003c\/i\u003e is a fascinating read; one which convincingly makes the case that what was happening in the Baltimore of the 1950s was a microcosm of the shift that was happening all across America. The shocking part is just how relevant these stories remain today.--\u003ci\u003eBaltimore Post-Examiner\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA highly readable local history lesson on the good, the bad, and the ugly of life here in the extremely edgy city of Baltimore, Maryland. Michael Olesker digs deep and his scathing, alarming, and sometimes hilarious reporting of our past asks the question--have we come a long way in fifty years or are our race and class issues still scarily the same?--John Waters\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs someone who lived those very years, growing up in Baltimore, Michael Olesker brought back so many precise memories--with that enameled wisdom of a fine reporter that made me understand better what I had only fondly remembered. He got that old town of mine pitch perfect.--Frank Deford, commentator on NPR's \u003ci\u003eMorning Edition\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThrough crisp writing and a careful synthesis of facts and events, Olesker makes a case that transformative changes in the American landscape were already taking place--and many of them had their origins amid the seeming innocence of Baltimore in the 1950s. From early rock 'n' roll to block-busting and urban flight, from the death of school prayer to the embrace of American youth culture, he chronicles a city at the brink. \u003ci\u003eFront Stoops in the Fifties\u003c\/i\u003e is a crisp, insightful dispatch from a skilled writer who knows his city and its history.--David Simon, executive producer of HBO's \u003ci\u003eThe Wire\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eTreme\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e--David Simon, executive producer of HBO's \u003ci\u003eThe Wire\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eTreme\u003c\/i\u003e \"Baltimore Post-Examiner\"\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eFront Stoops in the Fifties\u003c\/i\u003e recounts the stories of some of Baltimore's most famous personalities as they grew up during the \"decade of conformity.\" Such familiar names as Jerry Leiber, Nancy Pelosi, Thurgood Marshall, and Barry Levinson figure prominently in Michael Olesker's gripping account, which draws on personal interviews and journalistic digging.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOlesker marks the end of the fifties with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. \"It's as if millions will suddenly decide to act out their anxieties and their rage, as if Kennedy's murder exposed some hypocrisy at the heart of the American dream,\" he writes. Focusing on the period leading up to this turning point in U.S. history, Olesker looks to the individuals living through the changes that were just beginning to surface and would later come to prominence in the sixties.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe fifties are often remembered with longing as a more innocent time. But it was also a suffocating time for many. Alongside innocence was ignorance. Olesker tells the story of Nancy D'Alesandro Pelosi, daughter of the mayor, who grew up in a political home and eventually became the first woman Speaker of the House. Thurgood Marshall, schooled in a racially segregated classroom, went on to argue \u003ci\u003eBrown v. Board of Education of Topeka\u003c\/i\u003e before the U.S. Supreme Court and rewrite race-relations law. Even the music changed. Olesker's doo-wop portrait of Baltimore is nostalgic, but it has a hard edge.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eFront Stoops in the Fifties\u003c\/i\u003e is a fascinating read; one which convincingly makes the case that what was happening in the Baltimore of the 1950s was a microcosm of the shift that was happening all across America. The shocking part is just how relevant these stories remain today.\"--\u003ci\u003eBaltimore Post-Examiner\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A highly readable local history lesson on the good, the bad, and the ugly of life here in the extremely edgy city of Baltimore, Maryland. Michael Olesker digs deep and his scathing, alarming, and sometimes hilarious reporting of our past asks the question--have we come a long way in fifty years or are our race and class issues still scarily the same?\"--John Waters\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"As someone who lived those very years, growing up in Baltimore, Michael Olesker brought back so many precise memories--with that enameled wisdom of a fine reporter that made me understand better what I had only fondly remembered. He got that old town of mine pitch perfect.\"--Frank Deford, commentator on NPR's \u003ci\u003eMorning Edition\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Through crisp writing and a careful synthesis of facts and events, Olesker makes a case that transformative changes in the American landscape were already taking place--and many of them had their origins amid the seeming innocence of Baltimore in the 1950s. From early rock 'n' roll to block-busting and urban flight, from the death of school prayer to the embrace of American youth culture, he chronicles a city at the brink. \u003ci\u003eFront Stoops in the Fifties\u003c\/i\u003e is a crisp, insightful dispatch from a skilled writer who knows his city and its history.\"--David Simon, executive producer of HBO's \u003ci\u003eThe Wire\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eTreme\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMichael Olesker\u003c\/b\u003e wrote a column for the \u003ci\u003eBaltimore Sun \u003c\/i\u003efor twenty-five years. He is the author of five previous books, including \u003ci\u003eMichael Olesker's Baltimore: If You Live Here, You're Home\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eJourneys to the Heart of Baltimore\u003c\/i\u003e, and\u003ci\u003e The Colts' Baltimore: A City and Its Love Affair in the 1950s\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 248\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.9 x 8.9 x 5.9 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e March 06, 2018\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42119231864967,"sku":"9781421424255","price":39.24,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2623\/2711\/files\/d3f8c37b4b514d4a32b2061cf77b59b8.webp?v=1732539771","url":"https:\/\/booksby.splitshops.com\/products\/front-stoops-in-the-fifties-baltimore-legends-come-of-age-paperback","provider":"Books by splitShops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}