1969 stood as the final year of a tumultuous decade, shattering domestic tranquility with epic events and cultural upheaval. On the fiftieth anniversary of 1969, eight authors share their coming-of-age experiences, vivid memories, and lessons learned from that raucous, electrifying year. What makes 1969 compelling? The authors invite you to join them and “take the trip back.” In January, The Beatles gave their final public performance on the rooftop of Apple Corps in London. In July, NASA’s Apollo 11 space mission launched Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong beyond earth’s gravitational grip to a successful moon landing, fulfilling President John Kennedy’s inaugural pledge “to go to the moon in this decade.” In August, Woodstock attracted over 400,000 rock ‘n’ roll fans, hippies, peaceniks, and sixties’ music icons to a three-day countercultural gathering.

The Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam, in October, was the largest peaceful protest of a war in American history, flooding the nation’s capital and including more than 2,000,000 antiwar protesters nationwide. As the decade closed, the war raged on. Just months into the following year, the Kent State shootings shook the nation, bringing violent suppression of free expression to a U.S. college campus.

Joining lead author Brent Green in this writing alliance are veteran authors Carol Orsborn, PhD., David Cogswell, Robert William Case, Bob Moses, Jed Diamond, PhD., Greg Dobbs, and Richard Adler. 1969: Are You Still Listening? delivers their eyewitness accounts, personal tales, uncommon confessions, and fact-based fictional stories. The book merges documentary-style reporting with creative exploration, capturing the perspectives of journalists, fiction and nonfiction writers, and social and political commentators.

One question resonates throughout the book: Are you still listening? The book inspires contemplation about our social and political progress fifty years later. Do we see greater national unity today? Do we hear lingering discord? Do we sense progress toward equal treatment and opportunity for all?

For those who experienced 1969 firsthand, this book will stir memories and invite reflection about a momentous year. For those who were born later and are curious about the myths and realities of 1969, the book reveals truths concerning a rebellious time and an engaged generation that proclaimed a new vision for America.