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Sunny Days: The Children's Television Revolution That Changed America Audiobook
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Publisher Description
The behind-the-scenes story of the cultural heroes who created the beloved children’s TV programs Sesame Street and others that collectively transformed American childhood for the better, teaching kids about diversity, the ABCs, and feminism through a fun, funky 1970s lens.
In 1970, on a soundstage on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, a group of men, women, and Muppets of various ages and colors worked doggedly to finish the first season of a children’s TV program that was not yet assured a second season: Sesame Street. They were conducting an experiment to see if television could be used to better prepare disadvantaged preschoolers for kindergarten. What they didn’t know then was that they were starting a cultural revolution that would affect all American kids.
In Sunny Days, bestselling author David Kamp captures the unique political and social moment that gave us not only Sesame Street but also Fred Rogers’s gentle yet brave Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood; Marlo Thomas’s unabashed gender politics primer Free to Be…You and Me; Schoolhouse Rock!, an infectious series of educational shorts dreamed up by Madison Ave admen; and more, including The Electric Company and Zoom.
It was a unique time when an uncommon number of media professionals and thought leaders leveraged their influence to help children learn—and, just as notably, a time of unprecedented buy-in from American parents.
Sunny Days captures a wondrous period in the United States when a determined few proved that, with persistence and effort, they could change the lives of millions.
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“A diligent and lively chronicle…This passionate, highly engaging media history will thrill pop culture buffs and those who remember these shows from their childhood.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Quotes
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“This book, just like its subject, is a tonic and an education, and casts a bright light of hope during these dark times.”
— Elizabeth Gilbert, #1 New York Times bestseller author -
“A deeply researched cultural history of beloved children’s TV programs.”
— Fortune -
“A lively recounting of a particularly ripe period in television and cultural history, when our notion of how to communicate with young children was upended forever.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“A captivating glimpse at a revolutionary time and a blueprint for what’s possible with a little seed money, civic mindedness, feathers, and glue.”
— Shelf Awareness -
“Fun, fascinating, and surprisingly touching.”
— Parade -
“Full of such nostalgic jolts for readers who grew up in those years….it makes the era a pleasure to revisit.”
— Wall Street Journal -
“Both an educational odyssey and a balm for uncertain times.”
— O, The Oprah Magazine
Awards
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A Smithsonian Magazine Pick of Best Books of the Year
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A Washington Independent Review of Books Pick of Best Books of the year
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A New York Times Book Review pick of Best Books Now in Paperback
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About David Kamp
David Kamp is an author, journalist, humorist, lyricist, and a charter member of the Sesame Street viewing audience. A longtime contributor to Vanity Fair, he has profiled such cultural icons as Johnny Cash, Sly Stone, Lucian Freud, Bruce Springsteen, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. He began his career at Spy, the legendary satirical monthly.