(This is an overdue review of an audiobook completed this past May)
As many of you know, I am a passionate reader of fiction. Novels and short stories dominate my reading time in any given year. In looking back over the last several years I have not read a great deal of nonfiction, but of those nonfiction books I have read, many of them are from one of my favorite authors, Bill Bryson.
This past Spring my wife and I checked out the unabridged audio of Bill Bryson’s latest book, One Summer, America 1927, read by the author himself. There is no reason for me to be coy with you, ladies and gentlemen, the book is excellent, and Bryson is as entertaining a narrator as he is a writer.
This detailed, fascinating account of events that began, or culminated, in America in the year 1927 focuses largely on to anchoring events: Babe Ruth’s run towards hitting 60 home runs and Charles Lindbergh’s historic flight from New York to Paris. Woven round and in-between these two major events in our country’s history are events well known and obscure that will keep you riveted to the pages.
My Rating: 10/10
One Summer, America 1927 opens with a lengthy chapter on the history of flight leading up to Charles Lingbergh’s great accomplishment. It is easy to forget in these days where countless flights occur without incident the world over that man’s quest to overcome gravity was filled with much trial and even more tragedy. One of the things I absolutely love about Bryson’s books is that you will come away from the experience knowing about many forgotten people who created ripples in life that went on to effect greater events while also coming away with a deeper knowledge of people, like Charles Lingbergh, who you have heard of since your early school days. This part of the book alone is worth taking the time to read, but there is so much more.
I won’t bore you with detail, especially when Bryson can give you that same detail and have you hanging on every word. Suffice it to say that at over 500 pages, or 17 hours of audio narration, Bryson has the opportunity to cover a lot of obscure, intriguing history.
One of the many things that stood out to me as I listened to this was how very different the focus of news and news agencies is today versus the early part of last century. In 2014 it is rare to see even major events covered on the front page, in detail, for days on end. The sheer amount of news items available for us in the internet age coupled by an ever-growing trend of short attention spans and the craving for something new means that people en masse are not glued to the paper or the radio (or to the television or internet today) day after day seeking information about any single event. Back in 1927, stories about Charles Lingbergh and others were in newspapers every day, day after day, for sometimes hundreds of days.
One Summer, America 1927 educates readers to the prominence and prosperity of the time while also pointing out the great dysfunction present in a nation that was developing much faster than its ability to properly regulate itself and deal with the bad elements in our society.
Bill Bryson can be quite snarky at times and is not always writing of his subject in the most favorable terms, but I felt his sometimes acerbic wit is tempered in compared to books like Lost Continent: Travels in Small-town America. We certainly had plenty of laughs in listening to this book, but we learned a lot too. I appreciate greatly an author who can make history come alive, and when they narrate their own work so effectively, it makes it even more special. It is possible that this book has topped At Home: A Short History of Private Life as my favorite Bryson book (excepting The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, which is a comparatively slight delight).
One Summer, America 1927 is one I highly recommend, particularly if you can find a copy on audio. It makes for entertaining, and educating, reading.
I haven’t read this yet but I will… but nothing has topped “A Walk in the Woods” for me! lol
A Walk in the Woods was my first Bryson, MANY years ago, and I thought it was great. Have you read The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid? It is such a fun, nostalgic book and there is a great reveal about A Walk in the Woods in that book.
yes I have. I’ve read 3 or 4 or his books. I do have One Summer, America 1927 in my PILE have no idea when I will get to it!
I thought you had, but couldn’t remember.
I love Bill Bryson and I think I may have bought a copy of Home when it came out, but never read it. This one sounds good too, even though history isn’t my favorite subject:-)
I was surprised at how fast I tore through At Home, it was such a dense book. I had heard Bryson on NPR the day of its release talking about it and went straight to the bookstore over my lunch and picked up a copy.
Bryson is so good at making history sound like stories you are sitting around telling each other at family get-togethers.
Sounds fascinating, but I must admit, I prefer his shorter, more anecdotal books. But, if I must learn some history, I could do worse than accept his wry take on it, eh?
I certainly prefer reading shorter books in general, but it isn’t so bad when listening to longer ones as I can get a good 40 minutes minimum in per work day with the drive to and from work.
True. I listen to audio books when I’m driving, or just doing stuff around the house and the time does disappear!
I have a really hard time listening to audio books if I’m just sitting around relaxing at home as my mind wanders too much, but if I am driving, or cleaning, that focus on a task helps me stay focused on the narration.
I came across this book on a NonFiction November recommendation list and thought it sounded wonderful. Glad to see another review of it from a trusted source. 😉
I’ve seen a few complaints from folks who appear to not be fans of his, and I can see their side too, but I find him both funny and informative and this one was just so chock-full of interesting tidbits.
I have yet to read Bryson but I do own At Home and look forward to reading it. If I were to give a Bryson book as a gift, would you recommend At Home or One Summer or another title? (I know you said this one may top Home as your favorite And also maybe 500 page book is too lengthy for gifting?)
This book, One Summer, sounds like one that I would really like. I love history especially when narrated well.
It really depends on the person it is for, which is a lame answer, I know.
At Home is very, very detailed and full of fascinating stuff about the history of how people over time have chosen to live.
This one is very specifically American and although I don’t personally have a great love for the history of baseball or manned flight, I was riveted to those elements and all the additional stuff.
For something shorter, and quite entertaining and funny, I would recommend The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid. It is about growing up in the 50’s, but our generation still had some of those same things happening and so it was very nostalgic for me. It would probably be my first choice for a gift if the person was less into detail and history and just wanted a good story about life.