What Was
Woodstock?
Author: Joan Holub
Grade Level: 3 - 7 Length: 71 pages Publication date: January 12, 2016 Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap ASIN: B014QKICWC
Book Description:
On August 15, 1969, a music festival called "Woodstock" transformed one small dairy farm in upstate New York into a gathering place for over 400,000 young music fans. Concert-goers, called "hippies," traveled from all over the country to see their favorite musicians perform. Famous artists like The Grateful Dead played day and night in a celebration of peace, love, and happiness. Although Woodstock lasted only three days, the spirit of the festival has defined a generation and become a symbol of the "hippie life."
Book Review:
What Was Woodstock?
Author: Joan Holub
Brittany Perez (Oh My Bookness)
+Oh My Bookness
Bperezbookreviews@gmail.com
January 21,2016
Woodstock, is still today known for being more than a small town in Upstate New York. It became a place for three days where many of the young, frustrated by the perils that loomed over the country in the 60’s became a place of peace, freedom and love. The Woodstock Festival was created and visualized by a bunch of young idealist. Two who knew a lot of the culture at the time, especially 24 year old Music Promoter Michael Lang who wanted to start his own recording studio in Woodstock so musicians would not have travel to the city. With ideas comes the need for potential investors to back your project up, in 1968 , Lang met Artie Kornfeld, vice president of Capital Records. Though Kornfeld did not agree with Lang’s idea of creating a studio, they became friends.
What Lang and Kornfeld would come up with would be a idea of a lifetime, iconic. In 1969 Lang and Kornfeld would meet two business men roughly the same age as they were. They were not interested in so much of opening a studio in Woodstock but the marketing for their own studio they had in New York City. John Robert’s and Joel Rosenman new business so they thought, together with Lang and Kornfeld they came up with a company called “Woodstock Ventures Inc.” , the concert of a lifetime would be called “Woodstock Music and Art Fair” or soon shortened to just Woodstock.
What Woodstock would become is a concert of lifetime, it would take place in this small area in Bethel, New York. As young as 18 were being drafted to war, people feared communism would some how would soon be seen in the United States. A war well known and also one that still holds many regrets, resentment, anger, and many questions. So many lives lost, people, especially the young Baby Boomers just wanted peace, a place for a few days or hours to forget the turmoil of the war. That is what the Woodstock Festival brought. The festival also had its downs, for the co-founders and creators, money was lost , it would fall as one of the worst investments of a life time. After lawsuits, and payments made for damages and cleaning, their was no money left. It was great advertisement few the band’s that did show, it also proved you could gather people in weather that was not the greatest and still avoid a mass riot. Don’t get me wrong there fights but for astronomical size it could have been worse.
What Was Woodstock? By Joan Holub covers the ups and downs of a Era for so many was hard and dealing with was not easy. A war, where our soldiers came back changed, with lack of support from their own country. Also we were fighting our own problems, war, inside the United States, a civil rights war, a fight for equality, diversity, and more. Joan goes over the lingo used such as hippies, Peace out, Bummer, Flower Child, Off the wall, Psychedelic, and more. Joan also discusses briefly what was happening in the 60’s , the war, civil rights, change that was taking place, assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., Deaths of not one but two Kennedys who the country adored.
The author also discusses the history of the peace sign and the “look” or way of dress of a hippie. The book covers the ups and downs of one the largest outdoor music festivals that literally was thrown together but the Era itself. The book covers a lot on a topic that so much happened. The author takes important facts and even condensed covers a lot of material. This book I found to be impressive because I have read many on Woodstock, but they focus on how good it was, how special, the history it made. The author of What Was Woodstock? Does not just cover the ups of such a giant music festival, but focuses on the very beginning, about the men who started it, a bit of their background to the challenges they faced and had to overcome just to find a sight to hold it. With the focus being on the festival, author Joan Holub goes through the lingo, the dress, what the country was going through, and more.
I recommended this book to those who are just being introduced to the Woodstock Festivals history, to those who want to learn more even those who just want a refresher of the topic. Also there is a list of book suggestions that cover topics and the 1960s. This is a book that young readers will not only learn history but will also enjoy the simple illustrations to showcase a point or support and the 16 photos that are included from the Woodstock Festival itself. It’s a book I would recommend, for young readers to adults.
About Joan Holub:
* THE KNIGHTS BEFORE CHRISTMAS, picture book illus by Scott Magoon
* MIGHTY DADS, a New York Times bestselling picture book illus by James Dean, creator of Pete the Cat (Scholastic)
* LITTLE RED WRITING, a picture book illus by Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet (Chronicle Books). Guess who the wolf is! 3 starred reviews + 4 notable lists
* GODDESS GIRLS series puts a modern, middle school spin on Greek Mythology for ages 8-12, co-written with Suzanne Williams
* HEROES IN TRAINING series, chapter books for ages 7-10, co-written with Suzanne Williams
* GRIMMTASTIC GIRLS series, ages 8-12, co-written with Suzanne Williams
* MINI MYTHS board book series, Greek mythology for preschoolers. Play Nice, Hercules! Brush Your Hair, Medusa! Illus by Leslie Patricelli
* THIS LITTLE PRESIDENT, a board book, 2016
* ZERO THE HERO, a picture book illus by NYTimes bestselling Tom Lichtenheld
* SHAMPOODLE
What Was the Gold Rush?
Who Was Babe Ruth?
What Is the Statue of Liberty?
Who Was Marco Polo?
What Was Woodstock?
What Were the Salem Witch Trials?
Vincent van Gogh Sunflowers and Swirly Stars
The Gingerbread Kid Goes to School
http://www.joanholub.com
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