Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition torrent

Category: History
Language: EnglishKeywords: Call Fall Last Prohibition Rise

Okrent, who has rescued an important, relevant, and colorful chapter of American history, explores Americans’ relationship with the bottle dating back to the colonial era and analyzes the long-term effects of Prohibition on everything–from the rise of the Mafia and the Ku Klux Klan to language, art, and literature. Fast-paced and fascinating, his narrative assembles a wide collection of comical stories and outrageous personalities, such as the hatchet-wielding Carrie Nation. He explodes clichés and bypasses widely known tales of bootlegging and bathtub gin in favor of more unfamiliar accounts. Critics praised Okrent’s elegant writing and careful research–even in all its details–and agreed with the New York Times Book Review that this remarkably fresh take on a forgotten era is “a narrative delight.”