LOOKING BACK 1940-2005
History as seen through the eyes of those who lived it

The book I'm writing on history, with contributions from several other writers, is coming along great. Several essays have already been sent in for Looking Back, but if you want to contribute something check the Web site: www.kennedyk.com, then contact me for guidelines.

History was the most boring subject I studied in school because I couldn’t understand how it related to me. I hadn’t been to any of the places history books spoke about, and memorizing dates and place names was meaningless to me.

Then I realized one day that I and my generation had lived through some of the most exciting, and at times appalling and frightening events in history. I’ve also come to realize that the one element missing in all history and civics lessons is personal accounts by people who had actually witnessed past historic moments.

It’s no secret that history is even less important to today’s students, perhaps because it’s still taught as a boring, lifeless record of the past.

That’s why I’ve gathered a group of writers and extraordinary citizens to help recount their memories of pivotal moments during the past sixty-five years along with their personal views on what happened. They and I were there, and we sometimes suffered anxiety over events like the assassinations, wars, politics, and civil unrest that, at times, threatened our democracy. We also shared moments of sheer joy as we watched the first man walk on the moon. We watched (and some of us participated) as the counter-culture rocked our safe, orderly existence, and then on 9/11, we were shattered by an attack that revealed our nation’s weaknesses and vulnerability.

History is not boring. It is exciting! We Americans are in danger of forgetting our past if we don’t all take responsibility for teaching our children about our wonderful history and our shared heritage of courage.

This book will be an important contribution to the collection of historical documents because it will be told from a personal perspective, emphasizing human emotions and consequences for every historic moment that we’ve survived. I hope everyone will buy a copy and share it with your children, grandchildren, and schools.