One Summer: America, 1927; Red Sheet

Bill Bryson is always great. His nonfiction is so engaging and funny. I really enjoyed "One Summer: America, 1927". 

Quite a lot happened in 1927 in a short period of time. Charles Lindbergh made the first successful solo airplane journey from New York to Paris alone in a plane that no one thought would make it. "Lucky Lindy" became an overnight mega-celebrity. Like the Beatles were thirty some years later. 

Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig both had record breaking seasons with the Yankees. Ruth became the first batter to hit 60 homeruns in a season, a record that stood for decades. 

Ford stopped making the Model T and didn't have the Model A ready to go yet, so production shut down for months while they worked on that. Ford fell behind the other car manufacturers. This era also ushered in the idea of new models every year, which car manufacturers still do to this day. 

Talking motion pictures took off with "The Jazz Singer". Calvin Coolidge announced he wasn't running for reelection, paving the way for Herbert Hoover. Work began on Mount Rushmore (which was named after one of its major financial backers). Jack Dempsey was on top of the boxing world, which was becoming a popular sport. More people attended the Jack Willard vs. Jack Dempsey match than attended any Yankees' game. Capone was making money hand over first due to Prohibition. The Stock Market was riding high but a group of four international bankers who met in secret that summer made a fatal decision on interest rates that led to the Great Depression. 

All in all there was a lot going on, a lot that changed America forever, and Bryson did a great job summing it all up. 

And the latest from the incomparable James Ellroy. I adore this man. He is such a talented author and this book was fantastic. 

Freddy Otash is still on special assignment, working with the LAPD, mostly the notorious Hat Squad (four detectives from Robbery and Homicide who are rather poorly regarded now that we know the illegal tactics they used to get confessions out of people). Freddy and the Hats are working with Deputy Chief Daryl Gates, who is in charge while Chief Bill Parker is taking "the cure" in the basement of a local Chinese food restaurant. 

Freddy finds himself tangled up with some pretty violent Communists. He also falls in love with a lounge act singer, Judy. It was loads of fun and I wish I could replicate his slang. He's so good at it. 

The only complaint I had is the cover. What the heck is this? So weird.