1960s Historical Fiction Display
The 1960s marked one of the most tumultuous and divisive decades in world history. The era saw an energized civil rights movement, the Vietnam War and antiwar protests, countercultural movements, political assassinations and the emerging "generation gap." Check out one of these books set during the 1960s and travel back in time!
"This Cursed House" by Del Sandeen is set in 1960s New Orleans. "In the fall of 1962, twenty-seven-year-old Jemma Barker is desperate to escape her life in Chicago-and the spirits she has always been able to see. When she receives an unexpected job offer from the Duchon family in New Orleans, she accepts, thinking it is her chance to start over. But Jemma discovers that the Duchon family isn't what it seems. Light enough to pass as white, the Black family members look down on brown-skinned Jemma. Their tenuous hold on reality extends to all the members of their eccentric clan, from haughty grandmother Honorine to beautiful yet inscrutable cousin Fosette. And soon the shocking truth comes out: The Duchons are under a curse. And they think Jemma has the power to break it. As Jemma wrestles with the gift she's run from all her life, she unravels deeper and more disturbing secrets about the mysterious Duchons. Secrets that stretch back over a century. Secrets that bind her to their fate if she fails." This Southern Gothic horror debut is perfect for readers who like something spooky but not overly scary or gory.
Nothing sums up the 1960s like a vision of southern California beaches: the setting for Melanie Benjamin's "California Golden." "Southern California, 1960s: endless sunny days surfing in Malibu, followed by glittering neon nights at Whisky A-Go-Go. In an era when women are expected to be housewives, Carol Donelly is breaking the mold as a legendary female surfer struggling to compete in a male-dominated sport--and her daughters, Mindy and Ginger, bear the weight of her unconventional lifestyle. The Donnelly sisters grow up enduring their mother's absence--physically, when she's at the beach, and emotionally, the rare times she's at home. To escape questions about Carol's whereabouts--and chase their mom's elusive affection--they cut school to spend their days in the surf. From her first time on a board, Mindy shows a natural talent, but Ginger, two years younger, feels out of place in the water. As they grow up and their lives diverge, Mindy and Ginger's relationship ebbs and flows. Mindy finds herself swept up in celebrity, complete with beachside love affairs, parties at the Playboy Club, and USO tours to Vietnam. Meanwhile, Ginger--desperate for a community of her own--is tugged into the vibrant counterculture of drugs and cults. Through it all, their sense of duty to each other survives, as the girls are forever connected by the emotional damage they carry from their unorthodox childhood. A gripping, emotional story set at a time when mothers were expected to be Donna Reed, not Gidget, "California Golden" is an unforgettable novel about three women living in a society that was shifting as tempestuously as the breaking waves."
Author Chanel Cleeton is known for her historical fiction novels set in tropical locations. "When We Left Cuba" is set in Florida during the Cuban Revolution. "Beautiful. Daring. Deadly. The Cuban Revolution took everything from sugar heiress Beatriz Perez-her family, her people, her country. Recruited by the CIA to infiltrate Fidel Castro's inner circle and pulled into the dangerous world of espionage, Beatriz is consumed by her quest for revenge and her desire to reclaim the life she lost. As the Cold War swells like a hurricane over the shores of the Florida Strait, Beatriz is caught between the clash of Cuban American politics and the perils of a forbidden affair with a powerful man driven by ambitions of his own. When the ever-changing tides of history threaten everything she has fought for, she must make a choice between her past and future-but the wrong move could cost Beatriz everything-not just the island she loves, but also the man who has stolen her heart..." I think this is perfect to read during these last few weeks of summer.
Author Beatriz Williams writes on her own and as part of a collaboration with two other best-selling authors, Karen White and Lauren Willig. Her novel "Along the Infinite Sea" is set in 1966. "Each of the three Schuyler sisters has her own world-class problems, but in the autumn of 1966, Pepper Schuyler's problems are in a class of their own. When Pepper fixes up a beautiful and rare vintage Mercedes and sells it at auction, she thinks she's finally found a way to take care of herself and the baby she carries, the result of an affair with a married, legendary politician. But the car's new owner turns out to have secrets of her own, and as the glamorous and mysterious Annabelle Dommerich takes pregnant Pepper under her wing, the startling provenance of this car comes to light: a Nazi husband, a Jewish lover, a flight from Europe, and a love so profound it transcends decades. As the many threads of Annabelle's life from World War II stretch out to entangle Pepper in 1960s America, and the father of her unborn baby tracks her down to a remote town in coastal Georgia, the two women must come together to face down the shadows of their complicated pasts."
"The Road to the Country" by Chigozie Obioma is set in Nigeria during the late 1960s. This is the "epic story of a shy, bookish student haunted by long-held guilt and shame who must go to war to free himself. At first the vision is grainy-like something seen through wet glass. But slowly it clears, and there appears the figure of a man. When Kunle's younger brother disappears as his country explodes in civil war, Kunle must set out on an impossible rescue mission behind enemy lines. Kunle's search for his brother becomes a journey of atonement that will see Kunle conscripted into the breakaway Biafran army and forced to fight a war he hardly understands."
You'll find these titles and more in our "1960s Historical Fiction" display. For additional title suggestions, see the lists below:
