Whether you are participating in our Decades Reading Challenge or found this list while researching books about the 60s and 70s – you’ve come to the right place! Below you’ll find a list of the best books set in the 1960s, and you’ll find lots of 1970s titles here.
If you are participating in the reading challenge, you can choose any book you like that is set in the decade. To help get you started, we compiled a great list of books about the Sixties. Our recommended reading list includes historical fiction books that examine social and racial issues, novels that capture the flair of swinging 60s, and memoirs and nonfiction books about the 1960s that provide insights into the era, as well as important books from the 1960s that were written during that decade.
You can read all about the Decades Reading Challenge, download your free printable reading tracker, and find book lists for other decades here.
The Swinging Sixties
The Sixties were a decade dominated by the Vietnam War and a strong anti-war sentiment among young people against the US involvement in the War. Civil Rights marches also defined the era and helped bring about positive changes including the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act.
In the early 1960s, many Americans lived in fear of nuclear war as the Cuban Missile Crisis escalated. Throughout the decade, the country mourned the losses of beloved leaders, including President John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The 60s came to a close with a giant leap for mankind as the first astronauts stepped foot on the moon.
Major Events in the 1960s
Before choosing a book, it’s helpful to have some context. We’ve put together a timeline of 1960s historical events that have come to define the decade. If you’d prefer, you can skip straight to our list of the best 60s books.
- The US deployed 3,500 American soldiers to Vietnam in 1960. After many years of conflict, the US officially went to war in Vietnam when it sent combat troops to defend the American airbase at Da Nang in 1965. Opposition grew in the US, and anti-Vietnam sentiment became more prevalent throughout the decade.
- In 1960, John F. Kennedy became the youngest person elected President of the United States; three years later JFK was assassinated on November 22, 1963 while riding in a motorcade through Dallas, Texas with his wife Jackie sitting by his side
- The development of “the Pill” in 1960 brings the topic of contraception “out of the bedroom and into the living room” as it becomes a common theme in magazine articles and books.
- NASA launched its first astronaut into space for a suborbital flight on May 5, 1961, just weeks after the Soviet Union launched the first human into orbit. In the following year, NASA sent two more of its original Mercury Seven astronauts into space.
- In the aftermath of the Cuban Revolution, at the height of the Cold War, a US-backed operation known as the Bay of Pigs invasion attempted, unsuccessfully, to overthrow Fidel Castro in 1961.
- Beginning on August 13, 1961, the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) began constructing the Berlin Wall, which divided Germany – cutting off West Berlin from East Berlin – until 1989.
- The world was on the brink of another World War in 1962 as the Cuban Missile Crisis escalated and both the US and USSR came close to launching nuclear attacks
- The Beatles released their first single – “Love Me Do” – in the UK in 1962. When the Beatles first visited American two years later in 1964, Beatlemania swept the nation and launched a music phenomenon known as “The British Invasion” that also included popular British bands such as the Rolling Stones, the Who, and Herman’s Hermits.
- In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech during the Civil Rights March on Washington; the renowned civil rights later was later assassinated in 1968
- The Civil Rights Act of 1964 – which outlawed discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, gender or national origin – was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson; the following year, LBJ signed the Voting Rights Act into law, ending discrimination at the polls
- The first Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health declares smoking “hazardous to your health,” contradicting years of tobacco industry advertisements regarding the benefits of smoking.
- 1967 is dubbed the “Summer of Love” when the “hippie movement” was in full swing in and around San Francisco, where thousands of young people flocked to Haight-Ashbury
- Senator Robert Kennedy, brother of JFK, was assassinated days after winning the California Presidential primary; Richard Nixon went on to win the US presidential election in 1968
- In 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men on the Moon during NASA’s Apollo 11 mission
- The three-day Woodstock music festival in 1969 featured acts such as The Who, Jimi Hendrix, and Janis Joplin
The Best Books About the 1960s
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Throughout the list, we noted the books currently available as part of Kindle Unlimited Subscriptions.
The Secret Life of Bees
by Sue Monk Kidd
Setting: 1964, South Carolina
First published 2003
After her mother passes away, 14-year-old Lily Owens runs away with her friend and nanny, Rosaleen. The two escape to Tiburon, South Carolina where they are taken in by an eccentric trio of Black beekeeping sisters. Lily is introduced to the world of bees and honey, the Black Madonna, and to the town that holds the secret to her mother's past.
Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1/2
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Summer of '69
by Elin Hilderbrand
Setting: 1969, Nantucket
First published 2019
This might just be the perfect historical fiction beach read for the summer - a family drama that brings the 60s to life in vivid, nostalgic detail.
Each year, the children of the Levin family have looked forward to spending their summer in Nantucket with their grandmother. But in the summer of '69, thirteen-year-old Jessie is the only sibling who can make the trip. One of her older sisters is pregnant with twins, the other is caught up in the civil rights movement, and her older brother has recently been deployed to the war in Vietnam.
The summer proves to be an eventful one - Vietnam, Woodstock, the moon landing, the Chappaquiddick affair, Jessie struggling with her first heartbreak, and her grandmother with a few secrets of her own.
The Book Girls Say... If you enjoy Hilderbrand's Summer of 69, then you'll also want to grab the novella-length sequel, Summer of 79, which is available on Kindle or as an Audible audiobook.
Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
The World Played Chess
by Robert Dugoni
Setting: 1967 Vietnam; 1979 and 2015, USA
First published 2021
This coming-of-age story is about three different 18-year-old men growing up in 3 different time periods.
William was 18 in 1967 when he went to Vietnam as a Marine. Vincent is 18 in 1979 when he meets William working on a construction crew and hears William's stories of his war-time experience.
The third young man is Vincent’s son, Beau, who has had an easier life than the first two men. He is 18 in 2015 when Vincent receives William’s old Vietman journal in the mail as a thank you for listening to his stories years ago. It was written while he was a Marine and facing things that no one, much less a teenager, should have to encounter.
The three stories are woven together in a beautiful way that many are calling a must-read for everyone, despite the grim nature of William’s combat experiences.
The Book Girls Say… Although this book is set in three time periods, the story is ultimately a historical fiction of Vietnam, making it a great pick for a book about the 1960s. Make sure you don't miss the author’s note at the end of the book to learn more about Dugoni’s connection to the story.
Both the Kindle and audiobook versions of this novel are currently free with Kindle Unlimited.
When We Left Cuba
by Chanel Cleeton
Setting: 1960, Florida
First published 2019
Beatriz Perez and her family had fame and fortune in Cuba, but when they were forced to flee during the Cuban Revolution her father is set on rebuilding their lives and their business in Florida. When the CIA recruits Beatriz to infiltrate Fidel Castro's inner circle, Beatriz becomes consumed by her desire for revenge and to reclaim what she's lost. As the Cold War surges, Beatriz also meets a man who is off-limits and launches into a forbidden affair.
Through the eyes of Beatriz, this book is rich with historical context and explores the US/Cuban relationship in the 1960s, including the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the assassination of JFK.
The Book Girls Say... This book follows Next Year in Havana (which is on our 1950s reading list), but it can be read independently. Although you meet Beatriz in the first book, that book instead centers around her sister, Elisa.
Chanel Cleeton also has a brand new third book about the final Perez sister, Isabel. Our Last Days in Barcelona is a dual timeline historical fiction that will whisk you away to Barcelona in 1964 and 1936.
The audiobook version of this title is currently included free with an Audible membership as of 5/18/22.
Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Ordinary Grace
by William Kent Krueger
Setting: 1961, Minnesota
First published 2013
The summer of 1961 started out full of hope and innocence in New Bremen, Minnesota - a new young president, the Twins playing their debut baseball season, root beers at the soda counter, and comics books on the barbershop magazine racks. But the summer soon turned grim, with multiple deaths. Accident? Natural? Suicide? Murder?
When the tragedies occur in town, thirteen-year-old Frank Drum is thrust into adulthood overnight. The novel is part mystery and part coming-of-age story, told by Frank himself as a 40-year-old adult looking back on that fateful summer.
Lessons in Chemistry
by Bonnie Garmus
Setting: Early 1960s, California
First published 2022
Elizabeth Zott is a quirky and brilliant female chemist working with an all-male team at the Hastings Research Institute. But her scientific qualifications don't stop the "good old boys" from being frustrated that she won't make get the coffee or make copies for them. When Elizabeth meets Calvin Evans, another scientist at the Institute, another type of chemistry results.
Fast forward a few years. It's 1961 and Elizabeth is a 30-year-old single mother and she's taken a bit of a detour in her career. Instead of working for Hastings, she's now (somewhat reluctantly) the star of a much-loved cooking show called Supper at Six. Her cooking methods are unusual (“combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride”). As her popularity grows, it turns out she's not just teaching women to cook, she's also daring them to change the status quo.
The Book Girls Say... When we heard this novel described as a vibrant, funny, feel-good novel that is perfect for fans of Where'd You Go Bernadette and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, we knew we needed to immediately move it to the top of our TBR list!
There is an element of romance in the book, reviewers say they wouldn't classify it as romance or rom com.
Heads Up: Although the overall vibe of this book is a cheerful one, you should be aware that this book does also address serious topics, with scenes depicting sexual assault, domestic violence, and suicide.
The Help
by Kathryn Stockett
Setting: 1962, Jackson, Mississippi
Originally published 2009
Skeeter has returned home from college to her family’s cotton plantation where - despite trying to act like a proper Southern lady - she seems to constantly disappoint her mother.
Her true ambition, however, is to be a writer. The only job she’s able to find is one she completely unqualified for - writing a housekeeping advice column for the local paper. Having virtually no experience of her own with housekeeping, Skeeter turns her friend’s maid, the very poised Aibileen, for help.
As she gets to know Aibileen and Aibileen's friend, the very sassy Minny, more intimately, Skeeter is inspired to help tell their stories, and she pitches the idea to write the narratives of 12 Black maids – a very risky project for all of them.
The Book Girls Say… This is one of Angela’s favorite books of all time! It’s full of characters that are easy to love (and others not so much), and by the end you’ll be so invested in their stories that you won’t want the book to end!
The good news is that, when you do reach the final page, you can watch the movie to enjoy these women all over again.
Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1/2
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
The Songbook of Benny Lament
by Amy Harmon
Setting: 1960, NYC
First published 2021
Growing up in Harlem, Benny's father had ties to the mob. Benny learned that love and family can get you into trouble, so he decided to make music his entire life. But rather than seeking the spotlight, Benny writes songs for other musicians.
That is, until Benny meets Esther - a petite but powerful singer. He writes a song for her, but when they end up performing it together, he's suddenly thrust into the national spotlight. Not only do music fans take notice - it also gains the attention of the mob.
In addition to the storyline set in 1960, we read portions of an interview that Benny is giving to a radio show personality Barry Gray in 1969. But what happened in between? The answer - like the decade - involves politics, racism, and lots of amazing music.
The Book Grils Say... Readers say this book is best described as a very well-researched and fairly clean historical romance that captures the essence of the 1960s. But note that because of the mob element, there are a few scenes of graphic violence.
Both the Kindle and audiobook versions of this novel are currently free with Kindle Unlimited.
Mrs. Kennedy and Me
by Clint Hill
Setting: 1960s, US and around the world
First published 2012
This is the memoir of Jackie Kennedy’s personal secret service agent who was with her throughout her years as First Lady. In this intimate portrait, Clint Hill recalls being by Jackie’s side for some of her happiest moments, as well as the darkest. He traveled the world with her, shared in intimate family moments in and out of the White House, and was with her in Dallas on 11/22/63 when he jumped onto the back of the President’s car to shield Mrs. Kennedy in the moments after her husband’s assassination – a tragic day that he recounts moment by moment in this book.
The Book Girls Say… Clint Hill also wrote another memoir that is equally worth reading. In Five Presidents, he reflects on his seventeen years on the White House Secret Service detail under Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford, shedding light on the personalities of five of the most powerful men in the world, and giving a unique insider perspective on many historical events of the 50s, 60s, and 70s.
Both of Clint Hill’s memoirs are vivid and insightful without feeling gossipy, and he provides an in-depth look at the politics of the day without feeling political.
Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Last Summer Boys
by Bill Rivers
Setting: Summer 1968, rural Pennsylvania
First published 2022
Thirteen-year-old Jack Elliot wants to find a way to keep his oldest brother, Pete, from being drafted and sent to Vietnam. He overhears the men at the local barbershop complaining that famous boys don't go to war, so he decides the best way to protect his brother is to make him the biggest celebrity in their small town.
Jack and his cousin Frankie convince Jack's brothers to hunt for a missing fighter jet that crashed in their neck of the woods a few winters back. If they find it, Pete will be a hero. But their summer plans become more complicated thanks to a beautiful girl, a greedy developer, and a wild motorcycle gang.
The Book Girls Say... This coming-of-age novel about the bonds of brotherhood has a publication date of June 1, 2022 - just in time for the June Decades Reading Challenge prompt. It's currently available for pre-order for a great price, but you may encounter a long waitlist if you prefer to use your local library. We hope you'll consider adding this title to your TBR, even if it means reading it at a later date.
11/22/63
by Stephen King
Setting: early 1960s, 2011; Maine and Texas
First published 2011
This book is NOT what you'd expect from Stephen King. Instead of horror, you'll find a suspenseful historical fiction crossed with science fiction (and even a twist of romance) that addresses the most compelling aspect of time travel - how actions taken in the past affect the same future you started in.
English teacher Jake Epping is recruited by his friend Al, the owner of the local diner, to help with the most unlikely of requests. Al discovered a portal in the diner's storeroom that transports him back in time to the era of Ike and Elvis, and he sets becomes obsessed with the idea of using to portal to go back in time and stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy. But when he realizes he won't be able to complete the mission, he enlists Jake for the job.
Jake reluctantly agrees to go back to 1958 and live the early years of the 1960s in the small town of Jodie, Texas while devising a plan to stop JFK from dying on 11/22/63.
The Book Girls Say... This book is a giant at more than 800 pages, but we promise you'll thank us for this recommendation. The audiobook is fantastic and it makes a great summer road trip listen!
We haven't watched the mini-series yet, but we weren't surprised to hear that (as is always the case) - the book is better!
Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
The Nickel Boys
by Colson Whitehead
Setting: Early 1960s, Tallahassee, Florida
First published 2019
While the 2020 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Nickel Boys is a work of fiction, it’s based on real “schools” and the unspeakable treatment of young Black men who were sent there during the 1960s.
Disgraceful Jim Crow laws made it palatable for injustices against people based on the color of their skin. This is the story of Elwood Curtis, a young man whose promising future is cut short by ignorance and intolerance after being sent to the Nickel Academy reform school for his so-called crimes.
The Book Girls Say… This book will make you feel every emotion there is. Through Colson Whitehead’s writing, you really get to know and feel for the characters and the situation they are thrown into. It’s not an easy book to read. It will make you mad. It will make you hate. It will make you sad. Regretfully, racial inequality in America is embarrassingly still a relevant topic today. Books like this and voices like Colson’s add to the outcry for justice, love, and hope.
Colson Whitehead is also the author of Harlem Shuffle, a novel of heists, shakedowns, and rip-offs set in Harlem in the 1960s.
Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
80% Would Recommend to a Friend
The Girl Behind the Wall
by Mandy Robotham
Setting: 1961, Berlin
First published 2021
During the summer of 1961, the Berlin Wall was abruptly constructed - dividing not only the city into East and West but also dividing families.
When the wall goes up seemingly overnight, Karin is on the wrong side of the city. She is trapped in East Berlin under Soviet rule and she's separated from her twin sister, Jutta.
As the years go by, Karin and Jutta lead parallel lives on opposite sides of the wall. Life in East Berlin is very difficult, but when Karin meets a man named Otto, it gives her a reason to go on.
Jutta is determined to reach her sister and finds a way to sneak through the wall. But this leaves Karin with an impossible decision - flee to West Berlin with her sister, or sacrifice everything to stay in East Berlin with Otto.
Whistling Past the Graveyard
Susan Crandall
Setting: 1963, Mississippi and Tennessee
First published 2013
Starla is a feisty little girl, born to teenage parents, and being raised by a strict grandmother whose main goal is to ensure that Starla doesn't turn out like her mom. In the summer of 1963, 9-year-old Starla runs away from her grandmother's home in Mississippi bound for Nashville, where he mom is trying to become a famous singer.
Walking alone in the country, Starla happily accepts a ride from a Black woman named Eula who is traveling with a white baby. Eula longs for a child of her own and Starla longs for her mom and dad to be together so she can have the family she dreams of. As they travel together, Starla learns the harsh reality of southern segregation.
This book is described by many as The Secret Life of Bees meets The Help meets To Kill a Mockingbird.
Heads Up: This book does include some domestic violence.
Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
by Ken Kesey
Setting: 1963, Salem, Oregon
First published 1963
Set in a mental hospital, this classic novel is one of the defining works of 1960s literature.
Tyrannical Nurse Ratched rules her ward of the Oregon State mental hospital with an iron fist that is unopposed by her mind-numbingly medicated patients. But when the brawling and fun-loving Randle Patrick McMurphy arrives, he opposes Nurse Ratched's rules on behalf of his fellow inmates.
Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
The Last House on the Street
by Diane Chamberlain
Setting: 1965 and 2010, North Carolina
First published 2022
This dual timeline novel is set in 1965 and 2010.
In 2010, architect Kayla Carter's husband dies tragically while working on the construction of the family's dream home in the quiet town of Round Hill, North Carolina. Kayla tries to stay strong for her young daughter, but she knows that the new house will always hold upsetting memories. A mysterious older woman named shows up at Kayla's office who seems to know too much about the family and warns Kayla not to move into the trophy home in Shadow Ridge Estates. The property is rumored to be haunted, but the true history of the land may hide even darker secrets.
In the 1965 timeline, the author takes us back to Round Hill during a very turbulent time in American history. College student Ellie Hockley was raised to be a proper Southern lady, but she envisions a different future than the one that's expected of her. She plans to spend her summer break helping to register black voters. As she aids the fight for civil rights, she'll discover the frightening true nature of her neighbor's prejudices.
When these two women's stories ultimately come together, the truth will finally be revealed.
The Book Girls Say... This book weaves together history, suspense, and social justice.. Reviewers call the book enthralling, but it will also likely make you feel anger and heartache because Chamberlain does not shy away from digging deep on tough topics.
Dominicana
Angie Cruz
Setting: 1965, Dominican countryside; Washington Heights, New York
First published 2019
Unlike many other girls growing up in the Dominican countryside who dreamed of moving to America, Ana never did. But when shes given the opportunity to marry Juan and move to New York City, she takes it even though he is twice her age and she doesn't love him, because it means the rest of her close-knit family may be able to eventually immigrate.
Ana's life in the Washington Heights neighborhood of NYC is lonely and miserable, until Juan returns to the Dominican Republic due to political turmoil, and his brother, Cesar, introduces Ana to the possibility of a different kind of immigrant life in America - one where she is free to take English lessons, see movies at Radio City Music Hall, and lie on the beach at Coney Island. But when Juan returns, Ana is again faced with the struggle between what she wants and what she sees as her family duty.
The Secret Life of Violet Grant
Beatriz Williams
Setting: 1964, Manhattan; 1914, Berlin
First published 2014
Vivian Schuyler graduates from Bryn Mawr College in 1964 and shocks her wealthy Fifth Avenue socialite family by entering the Mad Men world of cutthroat Metropolitan magazine. But when an overseas parcel arrives on her Greenwich Village doorstep, its contents draw her into a family history and a crime that she didn't know existed.
In 1914, Violet Schuyler Grant moved to Europe to study physics, and made a disastrous marriage to a fellow scientist. As WWI looms, she is drawn in by a British army captain who challenges her to escape her husband's hold.
Fifty years later, Violet's fate remains a mystery, but the more Vivian investigate her disappearing aunt, the more she realizes they have in common.
The Outsiders
by S.E. Hinton
Setting: 1965, Tulsa, Oklahoma
First published 1967
Following two weeks in the life of 14-year-old Ponyboy Curtis as he struggles with right and wrong. His world is made up of just two groups - the "socs, " a violent gang of rich kids who have money and can get away with anything, and the greasers, like Ponyboy, who live on the outside and need to watch their backs. Ponyboy is a proud greaser, until the night that his friend makes a terrible decision and he begins to question everything.
The Book Girls Say... This coming-of-age novel is one of the most popular teenage books from the 60's. It's now regarded as not only an influential piece of literature in the 1960s, but also as one of the novels that laid the groundwork for the YA genre.
The Astronaut Wives Club
by Lily Koppel
Setting: 1960s, Houston
First published 2013
This is the fascinating, true story of the wives behind the men of the 1960s space program. NASA viewed the families of their astronauts as their business - selecting only men with seemingly perfect family lives, and giving the wives strict orders to create homes that wouldn't produce any undue stress or "mental chores" for the men.
Rocketed to celebrity (see what we did there?) by their husbands' selection as the original Mercury 7 astronauts, these women were featured on the cover of Life magazine. Under a deal with NASA, each wife was assigned a reporter who was embedded into her daily life - following her everywhere and placing her in a fishbowl even at the most tense of moments as she await word of his husband's fate on each mission. Only able to confide in one another, the "astrowives" formed a tight-knit community in Houston.
The Book Girls Say... This non-fiction book is written more like a work of feature journalism, which appeals to some readers more than others. But this is a quick read. Angela found it fascinating and couldn't put this book down! If you enjoyed the style of historical non-fiction books like Hidden Figures, we think you'll appreciate this book, too!
Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Fin & Lady
by Cathleen Schine
Setting: 1964, Greenwich Village, NYC
Originally published 2013
When his mother dies of cancer, orphaned eleven-year-old Fin is reunited with his eccentric twenty-four-year-old half sister who he hasn’t seen in six years. Now his legal guardian, Lady relocates Fin from his dairy farm in Connecticut to her home in the middle of Greenwich Village during the swinging Sixties. Lady is far from a conventional parent, and Fin finds that she is as much his responsibility as he is hers.
Set against the backdrop of the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War, Fin’s upbringing with Lady in Greenwich Village is the polar opposite of his former life. Lady enrolls Fin in an alternative school, takes him along to political rallies and marches, and doesn’t let her new parental-role slow down her free-wheeling lifestyle. When Lady asks Fin to help her find a husband by her 25th birthday, Fin takes very seriously his role in protecting his sister from her potential suitors, and from herself.
The Book Girls Say… Critics say this book doesn’t have enough of a plot, but Angela really enjoyed it as a character study of both Fin and Lady, as well as a portrait of the era. Those who love NYC will enjoy stepping back in time into the whirlwind of Greenwich Village in 1960s. This lighter read is a short 277 pages.
The Greatest Beer Run Ever: A Memoir of Friendship, Loyalty, and War
by John "Chick" Donohue and J.T. Molloy
Setting: 1967, Vietnam
First published 2017
In this memoir, Chick Donohue, a Vietnam vet, recounts the craziest of his many adventures. It all began on a night in 1967 when 26-year-old Chick was at a bar in NYC with his buddies. Each of them had lost loved ones in Vietnam, and they were disheartened to see anti-war protesters turning on the troops.
One of the guys came up with a crazy idea - someone should sneak into Vietnam and track down their buddies still serving there to bring them messages of support, and - of course - a beer. It would be the Greatest Beer Run Ever.
It's likely none of them meant for the idea to be taken seriously, but nonetheless, Chick volunteered. A day later he was on a cargo ship headed back to Vietnam during the height of combat with a backpack full of alcohol.
What would follow was his own personal Odyssey - a serviceman turned civilian searching for his childhood friends in Vietnam. Chick's story is filled with lots of hilarious escapades and harrowing close calls - including the Tet Offensive.
This memoir has been described as a "hilarious quest laced with sorrow, but never dull."
The Book Girls Say... This improbable but true story has been turned into an Apple TV+ war film starring Zac Efron, as Chick, Russell Crowe, and Bill Murray. It's expected to be released in the fall of 2022.
The Glass Forest
by Cynthia Swanson
Setting: 1960, Upstate New York
First published 2018
It's the autumn on 1960 when Angie and Paul Glass receive a phone call that Paul's brother has committed suicide and his wife is missing. Angie thinks they are going to take care of their grief-stricken niece, but they discover that the enigmatic 17-year-old does not want to be nurtured. Staying in her brother- and sister-in-law's ultra-modern house on the edge of the woods in Upstate New York, Angie begins to learn more about the complicated Glass family, and comes to question everything.
The Book Girls Say... Cynthia Swanson also wrote another book set in the 1960s called The Bookseller, which is set right in Book Girl Angela's own little neighborhood in Denver! In this novel, Kitty Miller is leading two lives, one by day - where she's single and runs a bookshop with her best friend, and one in her dreams at night, where she's married with children living in an elegant home. Soon the lines between the two lives begin to blur.
Park Avenue Summer
by Renee Rosen
Setting: 1965, Manhattan
First published 2019
When Alice Weiss leaves her home in Midwestern Iowa to chase her dreams in NYC, she is lucky to land the job of a lifetime at Cosmopolitan Magazine which is under the new leadership of its first female editor, Helen Gurley Brown.
Not everyone is happy to see Helen at the helm of the magazine, with some editors and writers resigning and others cooking up a scheme to sabotage their new boss. Alice, on the other hand, remains loyal and is determined to help her new boss succeed as she shocks America by daring to talk to women about all things off-limits.
The Book Girls Say... We both loved stepping right into 1965 Manhattan as Alice adjusted from her Midwestern roots and learned how magazines are run. This novel is often described as Mad Men meets The Devil Wears Prada, but it's a huge bonus that the book was based on the real Cosmopolitan magazine and its first female editor, Helen Gurley Brown.
Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Love & Saffron
by Kim Fay
Setting: Early 1960s, Los Angeles and near Seattle
First published 2022
Fifty-something Imogen Fortier is a magazine columnist living on Camano Island outside of Seattle. When she receives a fan letter, containing a gift of saffron, from 27-year-old Joan Bergstrom in LA, she writes back. Thus begins an unlikely friendship between these two women.
As the years pass, their letters to one another help them through the ups and downs of the world - the Cuban Missile Crisis, the assassination of President Kennedy - as well as the unexpected twists and turns in their own lives. From world events to romantic relationships, through their letters they discover that food and a good life can't be separated. Can anything shake the trust they've built over their years of correspondence?
The Book Girls Say... If you are looking for an easy read that will be a "brief respite from our chaotic world," this epistolary novel of food and friendship might be your perfect 1960s read.
Valley of the Dolls
by Jacqueline Susann
Setting: 1960s, New York City
First published 1966
In an era when women were expected to become housewives, three best friends instead struggle to make their mark in NYC as they climb their way to the top of the entertainment industry. But once there, they discover there is no place to go but down - into the Valley of the Dolls.
The Book Girls Say... Described by reviewers as compulsively addictive (like the booze and pills everyone in the book is taking) and highly entertaining, and as a classic, if possibly trashy, piece of chic lit, this book is certainly not for everyone!
Despite mixed reviews from our readers, we've kept this book on the list because it was one of the most popular books in the 1960s (becoming the number one best seller in 1966). In 50 years since, it's become a cult classic that has endured, and it's certainly piqued our interest to find out why!
Summer of Love
by Lisa Mason
Setting: 1967 and 2467, San Francisco
First published 1994
This book is a historical fiction novel about San Francisco with a time travel twist. It will transport you back in time and immerse you completely in the groovy Summer of Love in San Francisco, where a teenager - having run away from her suburban home in Ohio - is seeking peace and love in the Haight-Ashbury. Five hundred years later, Chiron is sent back time from 2467, where San Francisco is a city under the dome, to keep an eye on this 1967 runaway.
The Book Girls Say... This book gets great reviews, but if the sci-fi elements of the story don't appeal to you, consider picking up My Beautiful Hippie. It's a YA novel that also gives a vivid glimpse of the summer of 1967 in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury.
Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders
by Vincent Bugliosi, with Curt Genry
Setting: Late 60s, California
First published 1974
As the prosecuting attorney in the Manson trial, author Vincent Bugliosi had an inside look at some of the most baffling and horrifying criminal cases of the 20th-century - those carried out in 1969 by cult leader Charles Manson and the young women who followed his orders.
This true-crime book includes chilling details about the murders, the investigation, and the trial. Helter Skelter also examines the impact that the Manson murders had on America in the late 1960s.
The Book Girls Say... For a fictionalized look at Manson-like cult crimes in the late 1960s, consider The Girls by Emma Cline. This novel received tons of literary praise and awards upon its publication, but it was met with mixed reader reviews. Those who love this book describe it as a deep and thought-provoking look at the young female psyche.
If you’ve enjoyed our lists of books set in the 50s and 60s, next up is our reading list with the best books about the 1970s.
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Stephanie Gomez
Wednesday 29th of July 2020
The “Where the Crawdads Sing” has snatch another fan! I really enjoyed the book. Kya was a wonderful and colorful character. It was hard to put down. Thanks for turning me on to this book. Can’t wait to read the others you have suggested.
Melissa George
Monday 3rd of August 2020
I'm so glad you enjoyed it Stephanie! I just finished reading The Great Alone and if you haven't read it, we both highly recommend it.