I've read a lot of very good non-fiction books this year (well, seems like a lot to me) and absolutely the best one so far is Daniel Okrent's Last Call : The Rise and Fall of Prohibition. It is, as you might guess from the title, about prohibition, but also about "international trade, speedboat design, tourism practices, soft-drink marketing, and the English language itself" and a whole lot more. Know where the idea of home dinner parties came from? Or the American preference for Southern Italian food?
Well, it goes on. But the most fascinating part of the book to me was the revelation that 100 years ago we were all just as screwed up as we are today, which is strangely encouraging or profoundly discouraging, whatever.
Also, it's funny. The book, I mean. Okrent is a terrific writer and had me cracking up on just about every page.
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