I have read 100 books this year. I just updated my Library Thing list and realized I had reached the milestone. You should be able to view my list here.

I’m not ready to reflect on the full list yet, but one book that seemed to speak to the present day was Bill Bryson’s One Summer: America, 1927. Here is the review I wrote on my thread at Library Thing:

One Summer by Bill Bryson was a detailed and fascinating dive into the summer of 1927. Charles Lindbergh’s historic transatlantic flight in May sets the stage for what really was an extraordinary summer in the life of America. Bryson weaves the threads of history together from the Great Mississippi flood to the rededication of Mt. Rushmore to execution of Sacco and Vanzetti. He connects to our own time in his descriptions of nationalism and the eugenics movement with Iowa, at one point, outlawing conversations in any language than English even on the telephone. Iowa’s governor commented that there was no use for any other language for prayer as God only listens to English (p. 165).

There are light hearted anecdotes as well and Bryson’s description of the rise of radio reminded me of many other technology adoptions. In the early days, anyone could start a radio station. It was an immediate connection to the world that people had not experienced before in a wide way. Bryson believes Lindbergh Day in 1927 was the day that really made radio as everyone wanted to be part of the celebration as the hero was honored with a ticker tape parade.

I just glanced at someone else’s review and realized all I have missed that Bryson manages to both include and connect to the threads. Ruth Snyder and Henry Judd Gray, in an effort to stage a murder, left an anarchist newspaper behind as evidence that foreign agents had murdered Ruth’s husband and stolen some jewelry. It was that kind of anti-immigrant sentiment that made it easy to accuse and execute Sacco and Vanzetti. Bryson really teases out that thread to come to a conclusion about this trial. I won’t spoil it for you.

There was Babe Ruth, Showboat, Prohibition, Al Capone, talkies, just a huge slice of American history served in a jaunty style even as he uncovers some of the ugliness that lurked pretty close to the surface.

This is a timely book, a reminder about history repeating itself.