Mark Kurlansky on “Dancing in the Street” at Quail Ridge Books

He’s made unusual aspects of history fascinating. Now Mark Kurlansky, author of Cod, Salt, and 1968 brings us Ready for a Brand New Beat: Why the 1964 Motown Hit “Dancing in the Street” Changed America Forever on Monday, July 15, at 7:30 p.m.

It had an infectiousness that really did make you want to dance. But upon its release in July 1964, with Mississippi Freedom Summer, the Berkeley Free Speech Movement, and the Civil Rights Act in the forefront and escalation of the Vietnam War in the offing, it took on deeper meaning and became a true American icon.