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

Genre: Nonfiction

Blumenthal, Karen. Bootleg: murder, moonshine, and the lawless years of prohibition. New Milford: Roaring Brook Press, 2011.   ISBN:  978-1-59643-449-3

 

During the 1920’s, America ignored the law and came up with their own ways for getting the alcohol they craved.  The 1920’s were the years of prohibition.  The United States had just put into effect the 18^th amendment to the constitution outlawing alcohol and liquor sales.  The history leading up to and through the years of prohibition is laid out in stories of those who fought for and against alcohol.  From Morris Shepherd and Carrie Nation all the way to Al Capone, Americans fought for the things they thought they deserved.  Shepherd and Nation were completely against alcohol.  Al Capone is a name no one will forget because of his lawlessness in regards to prohibition. 

Blumenthal clearly lays out the history of prohibition in this book.  Key players in the prohibition movement have stories that help to explain how the United States adopted the 18^th Amendment to the Constitution.  Initially the goal was to stop alcohol abuse.  While crime was lowered during the years of prohibition, the people still wanted their beer to help them relax at the end of a hard day.  The photographs used throughout the book help to relay the stories Blumenthal is telling to give a history of the lawless years of prohibition.  She provides an extensive bibliography at the end of the book of sources she utilized in writing this book. 

Other books about the history of prohibition include:

Asbury, Herbert. The Great Illusion: An Informal History of Prohibition. Garden City, NY: Double Day & Company, Inc., 1950.

Coffey, Thomas M. The Long Thirst: Prohibition in America: 1920-1933. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc., 1975.

Okrent, Daniel. Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition. NY: Scribner, 2010.

Willebrandt, Mabel Walker. The Inside of Prohibition. Indianapolis: The Bobbs-merrill Company, 1929.

“An informative, insightful account of a fascinating period of American history.”  – Kirkus Reviews

“Filled with period art and photographs, anecdotes, and portraits of unique characters from the era, this fascinating book looks at the rise and fall of the disastrous social experiment known as Prohibition.” – GoodReads.com

"The breadth of the well-researched material makes Bootleg a substantial resource for reports; a deep bibliography and copious source notes provide ample opportunities for further study…this book is also a lively read…” --School Library Journal

"The scope is ambitious, but Blumenthal investigates various tangents with telling anecdotes, quotes, statistics, photographs, and illustrations without losing her focus on the bigger picture. Whether you consider ongoing problems with substance abuse or increasingly polarized political discourse, the book is startlingly relevant to modern times in many ways, marking Blumenthal as one of the more intellectually adventurous authors writing for young adults today.” --Horn Book Magazine

“…a highly readable, well-shaped look at the Eighteenth Amendment… Plenty of archival images lend to the book’s pleasant design, and an ample bibliography and source notes close out this top-notch resource, which will also help spark discussion on the current War on Drugs.” --Booklist