Bryson examines closely the events and personalities of the summer of 1927 when America's story was one of brawling adventure, reckless optimism and delirious energy.

The Roaring Twenties, one of the most dynamic eras in American history was a year that foretold the future. Despite being the first full year of armistice, 1920 was not a peaceful time, it contained the greatest act of terrorism to date and while thought of as starting a prosperouse time, for most people, life had never been more unaffordable. Meanwhile, African Americans were putting their stamp on culture as the rise of jazz spurred on the Harlem...

Recreates the character and atmosphere of this dramatic era in a collage of recollections by both well-known and obscure Americans.

Discusses everyday life and national politics in America during the early 1930s.

"From January 1 to December 31 of 1927, the entries in this book cover every major news event--national and international--of this pivotal year in history. Milestones of theater, radio, music, literature, film, and sports--as well as minor news items that would prove to be more important later, such as births of significant figures--are also included."--Provided by publisher.

The passage of the 18th Amendment (banning the sale of alcohol) and the 19th (women's suffrage) in the same year is no coincidence. These two Constitutional Amendments enabled women to redefine themselves and their place in society in a way historians have neglected to explore. Liberated Spirits describes how the fight both to pass and later to repeal Prohibition was driven by women, as exemplified by two remarkable women in particular. With fierce...

"The Great Depression of the 1930s turned the lives of ordinary Americans upside down, leaving an indelible mark on the nation's psyche. The Great Depression: America in the 1930s is award-winning historian T.H. Watkins's lively political, economic, and cultural account of this age of hardship and hope." "This companion volume to the public television series The Great Depression tells the story of a decade of disaster, challenge, and change. It begins...

"The riveting, forgotten narrative of the most corrupt attorney general in American history and the maverick senator who stopped at nothing to take him down. Many tales from the Jazz Age reek of crime and corruption. But perhaps the era's greatest political fiasco--one that resulted in a nationwide scandal, a public reckoning at the Department of Justice, the rise of J. Edgar Hoover, and an Oscar-winning film--has long been lost to the annals of history....