Want to take a trip back in time? The memoir format offers no better way to revisit other eras, and Sit-Ins, Drive-Ins and Uncle Sam: Coming of Age in the Era of Civil Rights and the Vietnam Draft captures youthful impressions of the 1960s through the hindsight of experience.

Unlike most memoirs, even though this is memory-based, Bill Slawter doesn’t intend Sit-Ins, Drive-Ins and Uncle Sam to be just about his personal growth. He writes with an eye towards capturing the flavors and feel of a bygone era. In this regard, Slawter does a fine job of producing a captivating blend of personal memories and changing race relations as the U.S. saw a sea change in its young people and the world.

Black and white photos from museums and other collections provide visual embellishment throughout as Slawter brings these times to life.

His insights are specific and reflective of his generation: “I never gave much thought to what folks in my neighborhood had in relation to folks living in other parts of town. I seldom went anywhere in Greensboro outside of Glenwood, except to go downtown from time to time, either by city bus or in our family car. Neither bus rides nor trips by car passed through other residential areas so as to shed any light on how other folks lived. Glenwood was my world.”

As he moves from childhood into college frat years, political assessments and growing awareness of other nations, and social interactions, dialogue between characters is introduced to capture the sentiments of these times and the people who lived them: “I rolled to a stop on the side of the highway. Overhead, a bright light moved slowly through the distant clouds.

‘I bet that’s a Russian satellite,’ Ahab said.

‘Bullshit,’ said Randy. ‘That’s a meteor.’

‘I’m not sure what it is but it’s going from west to east,’ Carl said. ‘So, I don’t think it’s a missile headed this way from Cuba.’”

This further pulls readers into the feel of a time travel piece, versus a singular life, as the 1960s come alive.

Younger readers who wish to know ‘what it was like’ should turn to Sit-Ins, Drive-Ins and Uncle Sam. More so than most other books on the subject, it provides observations blended with social and political examinations to consider these issues with a compelling, immediate flavor.

One could ask nothing more of a time travel journey into the past, making Sit-Ins, Drive-Ins and Uncle Sam a strong recommendation for any reader or library collection looking for an evocative “you are there” journey into America’s volatile 1960s.