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Glenn Altschuler's All Shook Up

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Although Summer Break is only a few days old, I’ve already begun the arduous task of reading and re-reading books as well as studying for my preliminary exams this fall. I’m going to try to post reviews of some of the books periodically. This week I’m trying to get through a few fun and interesting titles to ease into it and give myself the illusion that I’m doing some pleasure reading. I spent most of today reading Glenn Altschuler’s All Shook Up: How Rock ‘N’ Roll Changed America. It’s a book I saw on several of my colleagues’ reading lists and appeals to the popular bend of both my research and major field.

What I enjoyed most about the book, besides it’s fascinating subject, was Altschuler’s ability to both complicate and add texture to the traditional rock ‘n’ roll narrative. The first half of the book focuses more on the music and musicians touching on subjects such as race and sexuality. The second half looks more at rock ‘n’ roll’s relationship to the music industry and economic forces driving cultural preferences among youth. …show more content…
This definition of rock ‘n’ roll frees him to focus a site of contestation, exploration, and, in some cases, amalgamation of differing styles, cultures, and social values. The next three chapters focus on these contested areas by looking at race, sexuality, and generational

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How Rock N' Roll Changed America

...How Rock n’ Roll Changed America Music has been an influence on all people for years now. The music of rock n roll in the 1950s impacted all music genres then and today. Glenn C. Altschuler’s book, All Shook Up: How Rock n’ Roll Changed America, elaborated on how this era changed the view on music through race and sexuality. There were many problems that were caused between the two generations during the 1950s era because of the music influences of rock n’ roll. Whites were refraining their children from listening to such music that the teenagers enjoyed, for they did not want them to listen to black artists or bring out any sexuality they might have. Race and sexuality have been touchy subjects that make so many people uncomfortable and skeptical on accepting it just as is. Music and musicians during the times of the rock n roll ages of the 1950’s brought these delicate subjects out. Rock n’ roll was seen as a way of symbolizing black empowerment to the whites. Altschuler talks about how it was a moment where Black people were beginning to identify and assert themselves racially (35-37). During this time white older folks were very familiarized to separating blacks and whites. Doing such other made the folks upset and uncomfortable. They felt rock n’ roll was mixing and bringing the races together. There was a saying that was called “jungle music”, that meant the rock n roll music performed by the black race was causing young white teens to become disobedient and lose their...

Words: 706 - Pages: 3