NYU Press has put out a page-turner, and this one's a gem. Transforms a lurid front page news story into a fascinating window through which we learn about so many of the social, cultural, and moral issues that were reshaping the face of America in the 1920s. Rarely does a vivid close-up portrait offer readers such a broad and informative historical perspective. This is a wonderfully accessible introduction to the history and culture of the 1920s enlivened by multiple perspectives from which police, newspaper reporters, and the central figures understood unfolding events. Brilliantly written, the book fascinated, amused, and gripped me throughout-like a good mystery it even had a surprise twist or two at the end.
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