The Horn Book Guide

HISTORY

Blumenthal, Karen

Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition

154 pp. | Roaring Brook/Flash Point | May, 2011 | Trade ISBN 978-1-59643-449-3 $18.99

(2) YA This volume about the Prohibition era traces the drinking habits of Americans from colonial times to the present day. The scope is ambitious, but Blumenthal cogently weaves her complex topics into their social, political, economic, and cultural contexts. She also investigates various tangents with telling anecdotes, quotes, statistics, photographs, and illustrations without losing focus on the bigger picture. Reading list. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2011