Jones provides a concise, incisive, and dramatic account of President Eisenhower's disastrous attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro. He deftly examines the train of missteps and self-deceptions that led to the invasion of U.S.-trained exiles at the Bay of Pigs.

"As Glenn Altschuler reveals in All Shook Up, the rise of rock 'n roll--and the outraged reception to it--in fact can tell us a lot about the values of the United States in the 1950s, a decade that saw a great struggle for the control of popular culture. Altschuler shows, in particular, how rock's "switchblade beat" opened up wide fissures in American society along the fault-lines of family, sexuality, and race. For instance, the birth of rock coincided...

Covers the life and career of the first aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, discussing how his accomplishments helped the American public become comfortable with air travel.