1987: The Unforgettable Year

Hosted by NBC anchorman, Tom Brokaw, this video testament to the newsworthy events of 1987 is the video equivalent of popular periodicals' "Year in Pictures" issues. Grouped thematically, the program looks at: "Survivors" (notably, the Baby Jessica story); "Reagan"; "Glasnost"; the Iran-Contra hearings; "Wars" (in South Africa, Ireland, and the Persian Gulf); "People" (the PTL scandal, the Pope's visit, etc.); "Disasters" (the three trillion dollar deficit, and the pro football strike); the Constitution's anniversary; the '88 political candidates; AIDS; fashion; and the popular arts. The conjunction of the football strike and the national debt suggest the depth of socio-political analysis here: WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get). Still, as a visual document of the year 1987, it works nicely (though a tape-counter index would have made this more useful as a reference tool, especially for those students who find that wielding an almanac is too intellectually draining). Recommended for public and school libraries.