Before reading this book, I knew almost nothing about America in the 1920s (which would have qualified me for a senior position in the Harding administration), and it provided a pleasant and irreverent means of dispelling my ignorance.
Allen covers the last few years of the Wilson administration through the beginning of the Great Depression, but while he discusses some of the more noteworthy political events/scandals of the time, the book also covers the social and cultural aspects of life in the 1920s. Only Yesterday synopsis of the 1920s reminded me so much of the last decade I was shocked to discover the book was written in 1931.
Allen writes like a friend, like someone sitting in the armchair across from you, telling you a story. Gardner, the narrator, perfectly captures his acerbic wit, at times adding a cadence that reminds one of the local yenta dishing out some juicy gossip. I highly recommend it.
I love scandal so I should read this!
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