Book review: David Kynaston's 'Deep into the Sixties' captures a Britain in the throes of change

A new instalment in David Kynaston's series of popular history books, covering Britain in 1965 and 1966, has been reviewed by the Guardian as a "tour de force."

The book, titled "Deep into the Sixties," is said to capture a society undergoing profound change, ranging from the cultural touchstones of the Beatles and the World Cup to the darker realities of racism and homophobia in Britain at the time.

The review recalls an episode from February 1965 in which civil rights activist Malcolm X visited Smethwick, in the English Midlands, where the local Conservative-run council was reportedly planning to buy up houses to prevent the area from becoming what it termed a "coloured ghetto." According to the review, Malcolm X experienced racism firsthand during the visit when he was refused service at a pub, which some white residents at the time reportedly viewed as a "disgusting" intrusion. He was shot dead nine days later in the United States.

The review contrasts the popular image of mid-1960s Britain, associated with Carnaby Street, the Beatles and miniskirts, with the discrimination faced by Black residents during the period, including property colour bars and racist abuse directed at footballer Albert Johanneson of Leeds United.

According to the Guardian, Kynaston's book does not understate the era's cultural excitement, but emphasises that the prejudices of the preceding decade did not simply disappear as British society modernised.