Baby Boomer Memoirs

Having said all that, our perspective depends greatly on our beliefs. A Christian believer, for example, has a different perspective than a person who doesn't share Christian beliefs. A person, who believes in Jesus Christ as his personal Savior, views his or her world differently from a "non-believer" because he or she is different, not because the world is different. Again, our perspective says more about us than it does about the object of our perspective. Indeed, perspective has nothing to do with how something is; perspective defines how we are and says infinitely more about us. Even Christian believers approach to their Christian walk shows their perspective of Christianity, whether it is legalistic, emotional, flat, judgmental, angry, etc., tell others about them, not about Christianity.

Babyboomer Memoirs is much more than a story about a man's life. It is one man's perspective of his life and the world and how that changed over time. It is enjoyable reading if, for no other reason, than reading a story is the reason it is picked up and read. It certainly takes the reader through the stages and events that have combined to shape Mr. McBain, as anyone who would meet him now would know him. This book by Richard L. McBain is a trip down his personal memory lane from the beginning to the present. Key to the importance of this book, however, is not the list of events experienced by him; this is a story about Mr. McBain's perspective on his life. The subtle and most easily missed aspect that underpins this story is how Mr. McBain changed. The world around him did change, but, for all intents and purposes, the critical study in this book is how Mr. McBain changed. Because he changed, his perspective changed. Accordingly, because his perspective changed, his life changed.

Most of the events in this book will be familiar to anyone in their sixth and seventh decades of life-those of us in the 50s and early 60s years of age. The Vietnam War is the first and most obvious. The drug culture of the sixties along with the antiwar sentiment of that time is common to many. The beginning of "finding ourselves" and wanting to avoid responsibility, disliking authority, having fun, doing what we wanted and not what others desired, and the situational morality that consumed this generation-the Babyboomers-combined to weaken the moral fiber of America. This generation began in 1946 and included those born up to about 1964. The generation before it was called the Builders-the World War II generation. Next we have the Boomers, the subject of this book, followed by the "Busters," also known as Generation X. Finally, the present generation is known as the Bridgers, commonly known as Generation Y.

The Builders won a major world war and survived a lot of hardship. The Boomers and Busters have seemingly little to brag about. If anyone is the Babyboomer generation is honest, there is nothing that this generation can lay claim to as offering much to society or accomplishing. The Boomer generation saw the beginning of an obsession with its own personal quest for fulfillment, freedom, and personal happiness. The Busters continued this putting the individual on a pedestal; however, they also have had a great influence in putting goals into perspective and seeing the transparency of the values of the generation prior to it. The Bridgers will be the group that will hopefully put everything together. Until this book was written, it was difficult to dispute the claim that Babyboomers have done little for the world. There is one item, however, that will be noted as the greatest accomplishment of the Babyboomers. That accomplishment is that the Babyboomers generation is the first generation that not only recognized Jesus Christ for Who He was and is, but also had the fortitude to admit that without Jesus Christ man is nothing and life is virtually meaningless. The Babyboomers, while having its share of problems and roadblocks, will be remembered for recognizing God and not being afraid to say so.

This is exactly what this book does. It takes you through one man's journey, encountering familiar roadblocks and obstacles, and culminates in Mr. McBain's recognizing God as the Source of his blessings and knowing God within the intimate relationship that God desires. There will be much with which we Babyboomers can sympathize and I urge you to read it; you will enjoy it.

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It was like being transported back in time!  Aug 24, 2003
I was utterly amazed at Richardsýs ability to make a book come alive. I have written eleven books myself (self published) and thought that I could write. Richards writing kept me reading. Page after page was a trip back in time to four decades of a different world. It was like reading a story of my daily past. I wept at the sights, sounds, and smells of gowning up in the 50ýs all over again. All of a sudden, my Mother, Sister, Cousins Aunts and Uncles were alive again and filling my memories with innocent holiday/family fun. My neighborhood buddies Slim, Porky, Lake, Cherry, and the Big Bopper were sitting on my back porch planning our next summer time adventure. I laughed at the silliness of my hippie generation mind that made me think that we were going to change the World into a Giant Woodstock. 57 Chevrolets, Root Beer Stands, Drive in Theaters, Elvis Presley, Rock and Roll, Dick Clarkýs Bandstand, The Vietnam War, Agent Orange, Death and Dying were relived in Richardýs book. This book is well worth the trip to get it as well as the trip back in time! L.D. Jarrard Ph.D., National Executive Director for The American Society of Christian Therapists