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Prohibition: Thirteen Years That Changed America Paperback – May 1, 2011

by Edward Behr (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars 261 ratings
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"A excellent and honest book that does not flinch at unpalatable facts."—The New York Times Book Review

From the bestselling author of The Last Emperor comes this rip-roaring history of the government’s attempt to end America’s love affair with liquor—which failed miserably. On January 16, 1920, America went dry. For the next thirteen years, the Eighteenth Amendment prohibited the making, selling, or transportation of “intoxicating liquors,” heralding a new era of crime and corruption on all levels of society. Instead of eliminating alcohol, Prohibition spurred more drinking than ever before.

Formerly law-abiding citizens brewed moonshine, became rum- runners, and frequented speakeasies. Druggists, who could dispense “medicinal quantities” of alcohol, found their customer base exploding overnight. So many people from all walks of life defied the ban that Will Rogers famously quipped, “Prohibition is better than no liquor at all.” Here is the full, rollicking story of those tumultuous days, from the flappers of the Jazz Age and the “beautiful and the damned” who drank their lives away in smoky speakeasies to bootlegging gangsters—Pretty Boy Floyd, Bonnie and Clyde, Al Capone—and the notorious St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Edward Behr paints a portrait of an era that changed the country forever.
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  1. Print length
    288 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Arcade
  4. Publication date
    May 1, 2011
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.8 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1611450098
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1611450095
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is an excellent and honest book that does not flinch at unpalatable facts."—The New York Times Book Review

“Behr masterfully integrates family tales and expert interviews into his account of bootlegging, speakeasies, gangsterism, and racketeering.”—Library Journal

"[Behr] gives more than the usual gangsters-and-gats treatment of the era, showing how great social movements and forces converged and competed for the country's soul. Finally, he spells out prohibition's lasting effects memorably, in the process increasing understanding of American culture then and now."—Booklist

"Informative and entertaining from start to finish."—Publishers Weekly

"Prohibition is an era usually covered in a general treatise on American history: choose this title to receive much more depth and detail than most; especially if it's report facts which are needed for a school paper. Original research contributes to an in-depth survey of the origins, politics, and individuals involved in the Prohibition era's events."—Midwest Book Review

About the Author

Edward Behr was a writer, documentary filmmaker, and contributing editor of Newsweek. His books include The Algerian Problem; Anybody Here Been Raped and Speaks English?; Getting Even, a novel; the international bestseller The Last Emperor, based on the Bertolucci film; The Story of Miss Saigon, cowritten with Mark Steyn; and Hirohito: Behind the Myth. He died in Paris in 2007.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Arcade; Reprint edition (May 1, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1611450098
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1611450095
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.8 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 out of 5 stars 261 ratings

About the author

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Edward Behr

Edward Behr

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Edward Behr is the editor and publisher of The Art of Eating, one of the most respected magazines about food and wine. Behr speaks internationally on food and culture and has been featured in publications ranging from The New York Times and The Atlantic to Forbes and The Financial Times. His writing and the magazine focus on taste, especially the connection between taste and the place food and wine come from.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
261 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book very informative about the history of Prohibition, describing it as a well-written treatise. However, the pacing receives mixed feedback, with one customer noting overly long individual stories. Moreover, the book contains numerous typos that detract from the reading experience.

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15 customers mention "Information quality"15 positive0 negative

Customers find the book very informative and fascinating, providing a compelling history of Prohibition.

"...I found PROHIBITION to be a very interesting book. I enjoyed reading it and learned a few things...." Read more

"There is a great deal of information to absorb, but much of it is repetitive and very dry...." Read more

"This book revealed a lot of information about the period of history known as prohibition...." Read more

"A well written and compelling history of Prohibition! This book is a Who's Who of all the major political, cultural and criminal figures of the era...." Read more

12 customers mention "Readability"12 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well written and easy to read, with one customer noting it reads like a history book.

"...This very well written and easy to read hit that nail on the head. It's the real McCoy." Read more

"PROHIBITION is a great book to read if you want to know how Prohibition came about...." Read more

"...If you like early 20th century history then this is a good book to read." Read more

"...This book is a little dry at times, but overall is very readable...." Read more

3 customers mention "Pacing"0 positive3 negative

Customers find the pacing of the book negative, with one mentioning repetitive content and another noting overly long individual stories.

"There is a great deal of information to absorb, but much of it is repetitive and very dry...." Read more

"While some individual stories are overly long, this is a well written treatise, with obvious parallels to current affairs in the United States." Read more

"...third of the book jumps around between timeframes and people with little continuity...." Read more

3 customers mention "Typos"0 positive3 negative

Customers report numerous typos in the book.

"...There were numerous typographical errors throughout the book. The editor must have slept through the reading...." Read more

"...I'm sorry to say that the Kindle version is riddled with typos. It looks like the text was scanned and not well proof-read...." Read more

"...Also numerous typos." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • judy slotnick
    5.0 out of 5 stars Social history at its best
    Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    As a former history and government educator I always emphasized the social aspects of political and economic policies. It allowed students to understand the nature of why policies became part of our government. This very well written and easy to read hit that nail on the head. It's the real McCoy.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • tvtv3
    4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Source.
    Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2004
    Verified Purchase
    PROHIBITION is a great book to read if you want to know how Prohibition came about. The first half of the book does an excellent job describing how the 18th Amendment came about and the context in which Prohibition rose. There's a lot of key historical details there. Unfortunately, placing the event in context is not something that the author does for the remainder of the work. The last half of the book describes just a few major players during the Prohibition years and the downfall of Prohibition is written more as a brief epilogue than anything else.

    I found PROHIBITION to be a very interesting book. I enjoyed reading it and learned a few things. However, the subtitle of the book is "Thirteen Years That Changed America" and though he does extrapolate how those thirteen years changed America, there really isn't a whole lot in the book that really describes what went on during those thirteen years. Still it is an intersting read, especially since there are so few books out about this era of America history.
    19 people found this helpful
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  • Glen Chern
    3.0 out of 5 stars Educational but dry
    Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    There is a great deal of information to absorb, but much of it is repetitive and very dry. The author spent a great deal of time focusing on a handful of individuals, including President Warren Harding. While Harding was President during the early years of prohibition, he was not a central figure in its undoing.

    There were numerous typographical errors throughout the book. The editor must have slept through the reading. The errors were more annoying than dysfunctional.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Dr. Robert Eubanks
    5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful Facts on Prohibition
    Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    This book revealed a lot of information about the period of history known as prohibition. For example the level of corruption of public officials during prohibition was unprecedented. Another interesting bit of history was the term "real McCoy" came from a bootlegger boat that was very reliable. If you like early 20th century history then this is a good book to read.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Lee Hauser
    4.0 out of 5 stars Flawed but enjoyable
    Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I greatly enjoyed this account of a critical period of American history which, I think, is seriously under-reported. This book is a little dry at times, but overall is very readable. I didn't see the TV series, so I have no idea how it relates, but I found the framing story of the Remus murder trial very effective.

    I'm sorry to say that the Kindle version is riddled with typos. It looks like the text was scanned and not well proof-read. Not sure why, with print books starting out as digital files anyway, this should be the case. I don't believe the errors were enough to hurt the book, but they did make me sit up and take notice.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Must reading
    Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    While some individual stories are overly long, this is a well written treatise, with obvious parallels to current affairs in the United States.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
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  • Gilberto Villahermosa
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Read!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    A well written and compelling history of Prohibition! This book is a Who's Who of all the major political, cultural and criminal figures of the era. It is extremely timely as States begin either legalizing marijuana or contemplating such a move. Both the book and the PBS series are excellent and highly recommended!
    2 people found this helpful
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  • David and Samantha
    3.0 out of 5 stars Reads like a history book
    Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    This is very informative, but kind of makes you feel like you're sitting in history class, although this goes much deeper into it than a class ever would. There are some lessons from prohibition we still need to learn, but we are slowly waking up to the fact that we've lost the war on drugs.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • alligator crawl
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 1, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    very informative
    Report
  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars A very interesting look at prohibition in the USA I ...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 1, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    A very interesting look at prohibition in the USA I did watch Boardwalk Empire on Sky which was the glamourised version of prohibition.
    Report
  • Norm Macneall
    4.0 out of 5 stars well written
    Reviewed in Canada on February 15, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    enjoyed the book & it held my interest.
    Report