A Book Review. One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson

One Summer:  America, 1927.  This is more of an entertaining read on American history versus an in-depth analysis of the year.  For example, he does spend a significant amount of time in the book discussing Charles Lindbergh.  Of course, if one wants a deeper study of Lindbergh, one should read A. Scott Berg's biography.  Admittedly, one thing that is left out of Berg's biography is the fact that Lindbergh had a number of affairs, which came to light after the book's publishing.

I will say I enjoyed this book for the interesting history lesson that it provided regarding that year.  What did start to grate on me was his apparent joy in destroying the icons of that time:  Charles Lindbergh, Herbert Hoover, Calvin Coolidge, Warren Harding and Henry Ford.  It seems like at times that Bill Bryson is taking on a slightly British snobbishness towards America, even though he is an American.  I think context is sometimes important when looking at the men and women of generations past.  In all fairness, he does point this out.  I guess my biggest complaint was Bryson's take down of Hoover.  Now in 1927, Hoover was not yet president.  There wasn't yet a Great Depression.  Hoover was; however, a member of Calvin Coolidge's cabinet.  At the time, there was a great flood that hit middle America.  Hoover took it onto himself to organize help, his own FEMA-like move.  As Bryson points out, Hoover also did the same thing in Europe after World War I.  Yes, we can argue he was a failed president.  Yes, he was "pompous."  But shouldn't he be given some props for moving on this massive nature disaster?  Bryson doesn't give much and instead criticizes the short-comings.

My one issue with the layout of the book comes with the final chapter, September:  Summer's End.  I do understand there has to be a September, but that chapter spends a significant amount of time highlighting authors and other cultural events.  I feel that maybe it would have been better to sprinkle those highlights throughout the book.

Maybe it seems like I'm giving this book a negative review.  I'm calling it light reading versus academic.  I'm slamming Bryson for being overly harsh on the icons of the era.  I'm complaining about the final chapter.  On the other hand, I do enjoy reading history and sometimes you really don't want to read a thick biography on one individual.  This book provides the perfect 10,000 foot look at America just before the Great Depression.  For that, I'm happy I read it.