Books by Eric Burns

From Sputnik and the beginning of the space race to Little Richard and the underappreciated influence of rock n' roll in bringing blacks and whites closer together, to President Eisenhower's Interstate Highway Act, which forever changed the landscape, 1957 represents the year when all of the energy and anxiety that had followed the end of World War II exploded.

Examines the biographies of some of the most famous figures in American history, from Benjamin Franklin to Oprah Winfrey. Through these case studies, Eric Burns considers the evolution of celebrity throughout the ages. More controversially, he questions the very status of fame in the twenty-first century.

This lively, fascinating account of the surprisingly raucous journalism of the Revolutionary era--and how it helped to build a nation that has endured--offers new perspective on today's media wars