The Fever of '57
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Dwain Thomas, formerly Lake Park High School, Roselle, IL -- School Library Journal, 2/7/2008
The Fever of ’57. 2 DVDs. 88 min. The Fever of ’57. 2007. ISBN 978-0-615-16149-5. $129.
Gr 8 Up–In 1957, the world was bought into the Space Age and there was an increase in the already tense Cold War relationship between the United States and Soviet Russia. This stunning collection of vintage newsreels, classic television programs, previously unseen Soviet footage, remarkable still pictures, historical and contemporary interviews, and brilliant graphic re-creations blend together to provide an incredible picture of that time in our history. One of the DVDs contains the entire documentary that can run in its entirety or with the option of selecting from 17 chapters of information. The second disc has the same content, but it is divided into three sections, each running from 24 to 34 minutes, so it can be used during one class period. Russia surprised the world on October 4, 1957 with the unexpected launch of Sputnik 1 into orbit around the Earth, and shortly afterward successfully launched another satellite with the first “astronaut”—a dog named Leika. President Dwight Eisenhower’s administration was severely criticized for our lack of success in space, resulting in a near panic about the Communists’ capacity to launch long-range attacks on the U.S. As nuclear testing escalated on both sides, the program smoothly follows the thread of international tensions while at the same time offering a look at internal issues facing our country, principally the fight for civil rights beginning with school desegregation. On a somewhat lighter note, viewers are also able to enjoy a glimpse into everyday culture as the suburbs grew and classic television programs became more popular. The producers have supplemented this wide-ranging program with a variety of online resources to make this a powerful tool for classroom teachers in a variety of subject areas as well as an invaluable resource for individual research. Rarely do we have the opportunity to so realistically travel back in time.
