One Summer: America, 1927 [B0202]

2013 HCDJ. The award-winning author of A Short History of Nearly Everything recounts the story of a pivotal cultural year in the United States when mainstream pursuits and historical events were marked by contributions by such figures as Charles Lindbergh, Babe Ruth and Al Capone. Bill Bryson captures 1927's outsized personalities, exciting events, and occasional just plain weirdness with his trademark vividness, eye for telling detail, and delicious humor. In that year America stepped out onto the world stage as the main event, and One Summer transforms it all into narrative nonfiction of the highest order.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "Bryson weaves a tableaux that defines the birth of modern aviation, the revitalization of baseball, the effects of prohibition, the Red Scare & the demonization of foreigners, plus anarchy and the far reaching switch to talking pictures are on display during a very consequential 1927. Bryson writing is breezy and fun as he chronicles his native America."; "Highly engaging nonfiction storytelling - I have been bringing up this book more often than most ones I read. I now "get" why flying and baseball were so popular. I loved the author's ironic/omniscient turns of phrase and his interest in telling comprehensive stories even about more minor or forgotten protagonists."; "This was my first Bill Bryson book. I usually read fiction. Enjoyed the book and I learned a lot. I will read more Bill Bryson"