Our Golden Age Kaleidoscope

Seventy years ago, with memories of World War II still fresh, Americans found themselves drawn into a new war, this one against communism. The war in Korea and McCarthyism at home meant that young men coming of age in the 1950s and 60s were called upon to serve their country. Ten authors look back on their formative years in the fifties and find moments of fear and frustration, but also rebellion and good fun. After fulfilling their military obligations, these men went on to have diverse experiences in a variety of fields-from the Foreign Service to commercial aviation, academia, architecture, business, finance, management, and the law.

Three additional authors offer an international perspective on those years. They grew up in Switzerland with war-time scarcity and conservative values and came to embrace the social movements in Europe in the sixties, especially the increasing rights of women.

The thirteen authors in this anthology paint a vibrant picture of the forties, fifties, and beyond. They faced similar experiences, but their unique sets of ideas and talents led them down remarkably different paths. Growing up in the shadow of World War II, these authors understood the costs of war from an early age. Each one went on to contribute meaningfully to their countries and did their part to promote not just freedom and democracy, but friendship, peace, and understanding.

The anthology includes personal essays by: Ed Nef, Paul Doherty, George Proctor, Mike Dow, John Arnold, Gary Cunningham, Doug Hartley,

George S.K. Rider, William (Billy) Ming Sing Lee, Steve Young, Robert Nef, Maja Nef, and Erica Kuster-Nef.