Professor Simon Hall is interviewed about 'Ten Days in Harlem'

Simon Hall discusses his latest book which explores the spirit of the 1960s, the Cold War, and Fidel Castro's visit to New York.

History News Network interviews Professor Hall on 'Ten Days in Harlem', his new book published by Faber.

On being asked why Fidel Castro’s 10-day visit to Harlem and the UN General Assembly was a ‘foundational moment in the creation of what we think of as ‘the Sixties’, Simon explained:

It’s partly because it draws in so many threads – the Cold War intrigue over Cuba; the intensifying Black freedom struggle; the emerging counterculture; and the activism and ideas of the white New Left – that define the coming decade…

...I think it’s also worth pointing out that these ten days have a slightly anarchic, rip-it-up quality that makes for a striking contrast with the supposed conformity and drabness of Eisenhower’s America. So, stylistically, the trip helps to usher in a new era of political, social and cultural tumult in a suitably irreverent and rebellious manner.

Read the full interview ‘Ten Days in Harlem’: An Interview with Historian Simon Hall (History News Network, 31/08/2020).