Pop culture historian Rob Goldberg celebrates the book launch of his Radical Play: Revolutionizing Children’s Toys in 1960s and 1970s America on Sept. 30 at Summit Church. Rob will be joined by local author Robert Sullivan in conversation about the book, followed by a signing session and light refreshments.
Radical Play tells the incredible yet little-known story of how the most prominent social-justice movements of the sixties — including the anti-war movement, second-wave feminism, and Black Power — both protested and partnered with America's largest toy companies in their efforts to reimagine the nation. Together, the toy activists and the toymakers changed not only what was on the shelves at Toys R Us and other retailers. They also changed the ways we've been talking about toys and children's culture ever since.
Rob Goldberg is a historian of American popular culture and Head of the History Department at Germantown Friends School. His work has been featured in The New Yorker, the Los Angeles Times, and the New York Times, and he was an expert commentator on the TV show “The Toys That Built America.”
Robert Sullivan is the author of numerous books, including Rats, The Meadowlands, A Whale Hunt, and My American Revolution. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, A Public Space, and Vogue. He was born in New York City, worked for many years in Portland, Oregon, and now lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is the recipient of a 2022 Guggenheim Fellowship.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/book-launch-rob-goldbergs-radical-play-tickets-716255859557