One Summer: America 1927 by Bill BrysonMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a compelling account of the year, or rather summer, that America came of age. It truly is extraordinary that so many world-changing events happened in such a brief period. Bryson, as always, writes in a roundabout way; continually going off on a tangent just so that he can throw in another random (but fascinating) fact.
The reason I am giving it only three stars is because I had two issues with it. First, while achievements of Charles Lindbergh were amazing and had a massive impact on the world of aviation, I don't think his exploits after his flight (a tour of the country and always getting mobbed by fans) warranted quite as much attention as they have in the book. Second, Bryson is really rather judgemental about the people he writes about. They are either charasmatic but out of control (Babe Ruth) or they're personality-free oddballs (Herbert Hoover). Admittedly Bryson has done a substantial amount of research on these people, but can he really claim to know what they were like when he never actually met them?
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