A Very Good Year

While waiting for my son to take a college entrance exam (2 hours worth) I happened upon a book that was written in 1960, the year I was born.  The title?  The Search for Amelia Earhart, by Fred Goerner. 

An interesting title, Mr. Goerner presents nearly 300 pages of lively material making his case that Ms. Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, crashed into the ocean off the shore of Saipan (Japan). Evidently, this book offered one of the earliest theories related to the idea that Ms. Earhart survived, was taken captive by the Japanese, survived in prison for a time, and died of dysentery. She was, purportedly, buried in an unmarked grave.  Mr. Goerner offers various interviews conducted with former Japanese prisoners-of-war who,  purportedly, shared prison space with a famous woman aviator.

Even in recent years there have been reports, new theories, and dozens of expeditions conducted in search of the 1937 wreckage.  The disappearance of Amelia Earhart has also been fodder for numerous novels and movies.

I'm not sure what to make of Mr. Goerner's conclusions.  He's probably living in an unmarked grave himself these days . . . but his ideas still abound.  Although this book has more than fifty years behind it, I'm sure it is still a view shared by many.

I wonder what else I could find that was written in 1960?  Might be fun to see what the best sellers were that year. 

All I know is that in the second week of October of 1960, The Andy Griffith Show premiered . . . and I was born.

Not a bad year, all things considered.  And I think Goober would agree.