Summer of '69 Summary
Elin Hilderbrand

Summer of '69 Overview

Summer of ’69, a historical novel, by Elin Hilderbrand, parallels the tumultuous changes in America as a whole with the equally tumultuous changes faced by the Foley/Levin family. It is the summer of Woodstock and the summer that the first man walked on the moon The Vietnam War is still at its height. Richard “Tiger” Foley has been sent to Vietnam. Kate Foley Levin, Tiger’s mother, has turned to alcohol to handle her fear that Tiger will not return alive. It is the summer that Jessica “Jessie” Levin, Kate’s youngest daughter, turns 13. Blair, Kate’s oldest daughter, is pregnant with twins but has left her husband because she believes he is cheating on her. Kirby, Kate’s next daughter is living and working on Martha’s Vineyard, hoping to heal from a devastating love affair with a married man. Each member of the family must find their own answers to deal with the problems the summer of ’69 hands them. Themes in the novel include effective and ineffective ways of dealing with change, civil rights and religious bias, feminism and the strength of women, and coming of age.