The chief national political correspondent at the "Chicago Tribune" for 16 years chronicles the historical events of 1964, weaving a narrative populated by some of the most dynamic figures of this century, from Robert Kennedy to Timothy Leary, from J. Edgar Hoover to Martin Luther King, Jr. Margolis has drawn an unforgettable portrait of the year that changed America forever. 16-page photo insert.

The year was 1964, John Kennedy was dead and the country was reeling from the aftermath of his assasination. The Warren Commission was sifting evidence. Lyndon Johnson was beginning to tear down Camelot to build the Great Society. Young men started burning draft cards. Rioting African Americans burned neighborhoods. The "conflict" in Vietnam was escalating and Jackie Kennedy was fast on her way to becoming an icon of dignified widowhood. The year 1964 was when the Beatles crossed the pond, Elizabeth Taylor dumped Eddie Fisher for Richard Burton, and the Beverly Hillbillies was all the rage on television. In The Last Innocent Year, Jon Margolis weaves a narrative populated by some of the most dynamic figures of this century, from Robert Kennedy to Timothy Leary, from J. Edgar Hoover to Martin Luther King Jr. The result is a compelling chronicle of the events of 1964, the year that marked a watershed in American history.