Books › One Summer
One Summer
751 pages
A rollicking, trivia-packed time machine to a single, chaotic season that accidentally invented the modern world.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like sitting at a pub with the world's most entertaining history professor. It is a brisk, bustling journey through a single season that crackles with the delirious energy of a nation coming of age. The narrative bounces effortlessly between aviation triumphs, sensational murders, and political absurdities, weaving a sprawling tapestry of eccentric characters and bizarre coincidences. The mood is largely optimistic and larger-than-life, yet grounded by a wry, conversational tone that never shies away from the darker, more chaotic underbelly of the era. It is an absolute delight for readers who crave narrative non-fiction that feels less like a textbook and more like a gossipy, propulsive adventure through the messy birth of modern celebrity and culture.
- Mood
- bustling
- energetic
- nostalgic
- larger-than-life
- Tone
- wry
- conversational
- enthusiastic
- informative
- humorous
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- the birth of modern celebrity · technological acceleration · American hubris · the collision of innocence and modernity
- The writing
- Genial, witty, and densely packed with fascinating trivia, reading like a lively conversation with a brilliant raconteur.
- The arc
- Begins with infectious, wide-eyed wonder at a booming era and deepens into a wry, nuanced appreciation for the chaotic, often dark forces that shaped modern society.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love history delivered not as dry dates and battles, but as a sprawling, gossipy tapestry of eccentric characters and bizarre coincidences.
Content notes
- historical racism and eugenics
- natural disasters
- murder and true crime elements
- mass casualty events
About the book
Let our favourite writer of narrative non-fiction take you back to a summer when America came of age and changed the world for ever.
In summer 1927, America had a booming stock market, a president who worked just four hours a day (and slept much of the rest), a devastating flood of the Mississippi, a sensational murder trial, and an unknown aviator named Charles Lindbergh who became the most famous man on earth.
It was the summer that saw the birth of talking pictures, the invention of television, the peak of Al Capone’s reign of terror, the horrifying bombing of a school in Michigan, the thrillingly improbable return to greatness of over-the-hill baseball player Babe Ruth, and an almost impossible amount more.
In this hugely entertaining book, Bill Bryson spins a tale of brawling adventure, reckless optimism and delirious energy. With the trademark brio, wit and authority that make him Britain’s favourite writer of narrative non-fiction, he brings to life a forgotten summer when America came of age, took centre stage, and changed the world.
Description from Open Library.
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