I was intrigued by this book because having been born in the early 1960's, I have always been interested in the 1950's. I have read David Halberstam's book on this decade and enjoyed it but this book has me look at all I have learned in a new light. Gaines shines a spotlight on historical leaders who were marginalized in society yet through their courage, activism and persistence created and inspired social justice movements. Some of the unsung heroes highlighted in this book include: Harry Hay, Frank Kameny, Pauli Murray, Fannie Lou Hamer, Gerda Lerner, Rachel Carson and Norbert Weiner among others. This book is an important read to understand how change really happens in society. I found this book incredibly inspiring -- as an individual, we can have a tremendous impact in the world. I highly recommend this book.

The premise of this history book sounded so intriguing, but I found the writing to be a bit too dry for my tastes.

This book covers the quiet rise of the gay, civil rights, women’s and environmental movement during the 1950sin the United States. Most people recognize these are really surfacing in the 1960s, but their origins began in the 1950s. The author covers primarily the life for four people who each had an influence on each of the topics. It is well written and an engaging read. I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in the early development of any or all of these topics.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon, Facebook and my nonfiction book review blog.

Not the read I was expecting. Gay, racial descriptions of the fifties within the context of the conservative times. Enjoyed the progressive viewpoint on the fifties.

Read if you: Want a moving and eye-opening introduction to people who paved the way for civil rights for LGBTQ+, African-Americans, women, and were at the forefront of the environmental movement.

Librarians/booksellers: Books on the pre-1960s civil rights and environmental movements are very rare; this is engaging and driven by compelling portraits.

Many thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

A fantastic look at the beginnings of some of the movements we most associate with later eras. Gaines shows us the background of gay rights, women's/African-American, and ecological/Industrial complex movements through biographies of people that were responsible for the movements. Gaines also continues their stories to show the influence these folks continue to have.

Highly recommended.

When I read that the author was the chief editor for Time and that this was four portraits my first thought was a flashback to the Time-Life book series on different topics sold thru infomercials. My concern was that it would feel too much like a scrapbook of anecdotes, that it wouldn't give the subjects sufficient depth. Luckily Gaines does better than that. It does still feel like four short-to-midlength books, but it's sourced very well and serves as a nice jumping off point for those who want to pick one and explore further (fifteen percent of the book is bibliography).