Last Call
The Rise and Fall of Prohibition
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Narrated by:
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Daniel Okrent
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By:
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Daniel Okrent
About this listen
A brilliant, authoritative, and fascinating history of America's most puzzling era, the years 1920 to 1933, when the U.S. Constitution was amended to restrict one of Americas favorite pastimes: drinking alcoholic beverages.
From its start, America has been awash in drink. The sailing vessel that brought John Winthrop to the shores of the New World in 1630 carried more beer than water. By the 1820s, liquor flowed so plentifully it was cheaper than tea. That Americans would ever agree to relinquish their booze was as improbable as it was astonishing.
Yet we did, and Last Call is Daniel Okrent's dazzling explanation of why we did it, what life under Prohibition was like, and how such an unprecedented degree of government interference in the private lives of Americans changed the country forever.
Writing with both wit and historical acuity, Okrent reveals how Prohibition marked a confluence of diverse forces: the growing political power of the women's suffrage movement, which allied itself with the antiliquor campaign; the fear of small-town, native-stock Protestants that they were losing control of their country to the immigrants of the large cities; the anti-German sentiment stoked by World War I; and a variety of other unlikely factors, ranging from the rise of the automobile to the advent of the income tax.
Through it all, Americans kept drinking, going to remarkably creative lengths to smuggle, sell, conceal, and convivially (and sometimes fatally) imbibe their favorite intoxicants. Last Call is peopled with vivid characters of an astonishing variety: Susan B. Anthony and Billy Sunday, William Jennings Bryan and bootlegger Sam Bronfman, Pierre S. du Pont and H. L. Mencken, Meyer Lansky and the incredible - if long-forgotten - federal official Mabel Walker Willebrandt, who throughout the 20s was the most powerful woman in the country. (Perhaps most surprising of all is Okrent's account of Joseph P. Kennedy's legendary, and long-misunderstood, role in the liquor business.)
It's a book rich with stories from nearly all parts of the country. Okrent's narrative runs through smoky Manhattan speakeasies, where relations between the sexes were changed forever; California vineyards busily producing sacramental wine; New England fishing communities that gave up fishing for the more lucrative rum-running business; and in Washington, the halls of Congress itself, where politicians who had voted for Prohibition drank openly and without apology.
Last Call is capacious, meticulous, and thrillingly told. It stands as the most complete history of Prohibition ever written and confirms Daniel Okrent's rank as a major American writer.
©2010 Last Laugh, Inc (P)2010 Simon & SchusterListeners also enjoyed...
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A British conservative's view of American history.
- By Mike From Mesa on 06-17-09
By: Paul Johnson
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Star-Spangled Men
- America's Ten Worst Presidents
- By: Nathan Miller
- Narrated by: Andy Caploe
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Picking America's best presidents is easy. George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin D. Roosevelt usually lead the list. But choosing the nation's worst presidents requires more thought. In Star-Spangled Men, respected presidential biographer Nathan Miller puts on display those leaders who were abject failures as chief executive. With pointed humor and a deft hand, he presents a rogues' gallery of the men who dropped the presidential ball, and sometimes their pants as well.
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Entertaining and factual
- By Sean on 10-25-14
By: Nathan Miller
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The Forgotten Man
- By: Amity Shlaes
- Narrated by: Terence Aselford
- Length: 14 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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It's difficult today to imagine how America survived the Great Depression. Only through the stories of the common people who struggled during that era can we really understand how the nation endured. In The Forgotten Man, Amity Shlaes offers a striking reinterpretation of the Great Depression. Rejecting the old emphasis on the New Deal, she turns to the neglected and moving stories of individual Americans, and shows how they helped establish the steadfast character we developed as a nation.
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a story of forgotten times
- By Debb Robinson on 10-11-07
By: Amity Shlaes
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Bourbon Empire
- The Past and Future of America's Whiskey
- By: Reid Mitenbuler
- Narrated by: Brian O'Neill
- Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Unraveling the many myths and misconceptions surrounding America's most iconic spirit, Bourbon Empire traces a history that spans frontier rebellion, Gilded Age corruption, and the magic of Madison Avenue. Whiskey has profoundly influenced America's political, economic, and cultural destiny, just as those same factors have inspired the evolution and unique flavor of the whiskey itself.
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Great whiskey history great American history
- By Larry G. on 06-16-15
By: Reid Mitenbuler
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Every Man a King
- A Short, Colorful History of American Populists
- By: Chris Stirewalt
- Narrated by: Chris Stirewalt
- Length: 4 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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American populism has always been home to a fascinating assortment of charismatic leaders, characters, kooks, cranks, and sometimes charlatans who have led the charge of ordinary folks who have gotten wise to the ways of the swamp. Every Man a King tells the stories of America's populist leaders, from Andrew Jackson and Teddy Roosevelt to Ross Perot, Pat Buchanan, and Donald Trump. It is a rollicking history of an American attitude that has shaped not only our current moment, but also the long struggle over who gets to define the truths we hold to be self evident.
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Education delivered in a most entertaining way.
- By Snaps And Snippets on 09-17-18
By: Chris Stirewalt
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Injustices
- The Supreme Court's History of Comforting the Comfortable and Afflicting the Afflicted
- By: Ian Millhiser
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 10 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Few American institutions have inflicted greater suffering on ordinary people than the Supreme Court of the United States. Since its inception the justices of the Supreme Court have shaped a nation where children toiled in coal mines, where Americans could be forced into camps because of their race, and where a woman could be sterilized against her will by state law.
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Is It HALF FULL or HALF EMPTY ? It Depends !
- By James on 04-01-15
By: Ian Millhiser
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City of Dreams
- The 400-Year Epic History of Immigrant New York
- By: Tyler Anbinder
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 24 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Tyler Anbinder's story is one of innovators and artists, revolutionaries and rioters, staggering deprivation and soaring triumphs, all playing out against the powerful backdrop of New York City, at once ever changing and profoundly, permanently itself. City of Dreams provides a vivid sense of what New York looked like, sounded like, smelled like, and felt like over the centuries of its development and maturation into the city we know today.
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Even as a history, not engaging
- By Patrick Kelly on 12-03-16
By: Tyler Anbinder
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The Swamp
- Washington's Murky Pool of Corruption and Cronyism—and How Trump Can Drain It
- By: Eric Bolling
- Narrated by: Eric Bolling
- Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Bestselling author and Fox News Channel host Eric Bolling presents an infuriating, amusing, revealing, and outrageous history of American politics, past and present, Republican and Democrat. From national political scandals to tempests in a teapot that blew up; bribery, blackmail, bullying, and backroom deals that contradicted public policies; cronyism that cost taxpayers hundreds upon hundreds of millions of dollars; and personal conduct that can only be described as regrettable, The Swamp is a journey downriver through the bayous and marshes of Capitol Hill and Foggy Bottom.
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Mr. President, drain the swamp
- By Wayne on 06-30-17
By: Eric Bolling
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The Teapot Dome Scandal
- How Big Oil Bought the Harding White House
- By: Laton McCartney
- Narrated by: William Hughes
- Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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The Teapot Dome scandal of the early 1920s was all about oil - hundreds of millions of dollars� worth of petroleum. When the scandal finally broke, the consequences were tremendous. President Harding's legacy was forever tarnished, while �Oil Cabinet� member Albert Fall was forced to resign and was imprisoned for a year. Others implicated in the affair suffered prison terms, commitment to mental hospitals, suicide, and even murder.
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Harding's return to normalcy: corruption
- By Paul on 03-05-08
By: Laton McCartney
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Only Yesterday
- An Informal History of the 1920s
- By: Frederick Lewis Allen
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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In this span between armistice and depression, Americans were kicking up their heels, but they were also bringing about major changes in the social and political structure of their country. Only Yesterday is a fond, witty, penetrating biography of this restless decade, a delightful reminiscence for those who can remember and a fascinating firsthand look for those who've only heard.
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Loved this book
- By Matthew M. Kayes on 06-11-07
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Five Points
- The 19th Century New York City Neighborhood that Invented Tap Dance, Stole Elections, and Became the World's Most Notorious Slum
- By: Tyler Anbinder
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 16 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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All but forgotten today, Five Points was once renowned the world over. Its handful of streets in lower Manhattan featured America's most wretched poverty, shared by Irish, Jewish, German, Italian, Chinese, and African Americans. It was the scene of more riots, scams, saloons, brothels, and drunkenness than any other neighborhood in the new world. The story that Anbinder tells is the classic tale of America's immigrant past, as successive waves of new arrivals fought for survival in a land that was as exciting as it was dangerous, as riotous as it was culturally rich.
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Great historical piece
- By Jim Braunstein on 08-19-19
By: Tyler Anbinder
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Neither Snow nor Rain
- A History of the United States Postal Service
- By: Devin Leonard
- Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Few institutions are as loved, as loathed, and as historically important as the United States Postal Service, the subject of this landmark century-spanning social, political, and economic history. The United States Postal Service is a wondrous American creation. Seven days a week, its army of 300,000 letter carriers delivers 513 million pieces of mail, 40 percent of the world's volume. It is far more efficient than any other mail service - more than twice as efficient as the Japanese and easily outpacing the Germans and British. And the USPS has a storied history.
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Woa!, the post office's history is America
- By anon on 12-06-16
By: Devin Leonard
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Nothing to Fear
- FDR's Inner Circle and the Hundred Days That Created Modern America
- By: Adam Cohen
- Narrated by: Norman Dietz
- Length: 14 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Nothing to Fear brings to life a fulcrum moment in American history - the tense, feverish first 100 days of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's presidency, when he and his inner circle completely reinvented the role of the federal government.
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Important contribution
- By R.S. on 03-05-09
By: Adam Cohen
What listeners say about Last Call
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Kindle Customer
- 01-23-12
Prohibition explained
Would you consider the audio edition of Last Call to be better than the print version?
I find it easier to listen to nonfiction than to read it in print. This book made the whole complicated subject of Prohibition accessible.
What other book might you compare Last Call to and why?
This book reminded me of Devil in the White City. It is written in a style that would appeal to someone who might not always read nonfiction.
What aspect of Daniel Okrent’s performance would you have changed?
He was a little flat.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No, I needed time to digest what I had heard before I went on to the next chapter or two.
Any additional comments?
I really felt like I learned some new things about Prohibition after reading this volume.
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Overall
- James R. Hessin
- 10-19-10
Truly entertaining
This was a fascinating and entertaining look at the history of prohibition and the remarkable circumstances that took place to cause it to happen. I didn't expect it to be so fun to listen to.
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Overall
- Linda
- 06-05-10
Strictly an account
This book is probably okay for what it is -- I was just expecting something different.
It gives the lobbying and legislative history of both prohibition and repeal in some detail. It also talks some about the lawlessness of gangsters that occurred in the '20's and touches on the instability of a society that basically nullifies a law by ignoring it.
I felt it did not do justice to the things that led to Prohibition. Don't misunderstand -- I am not pro-prohibition. In fact, I'm for the legalization of drugs. Nevertheless, while the author did talk about the role of women and women's suffrage in connection with the law, it did not really go into any detail about *why* women supported it - in other words, the social problems women, who were without legal rights or protection in a society where saloons were all men bastions and drunkeness often resulted in poverty and abuse against which they had no recourse. Instead, the author concentrated on anti-immigrant feelings which certainly were a factor, but not the whole story.
So, for a bare-line history, an okay book. For analysis, not so good - even in those areas he addressed.
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8 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Brett
- 06-15-10
"Read by the author" kiss of death.
This could have been a much more entertaining book (think 1776 or The Great Bridge) if the author had not taken it upon himself to read it. I don't know why these authors think they are actors.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Maria
- 12-22-10
Interesting, but not captivating
My husband and I were excited to listen to this book on a long car ride because of the topic (How can Prohibition not be full of exciting content?) and because of some short interview with the author that seemed interesting.
Overall, we found that the book didn't live up to our expectations. While we learned a lot, there was just way to much detail in this book. I feel like the book lacked information about what it was actually like to live under Prohibition. For such a colorful period in American history, there weren't many stories (amusing, illustrative, or otherwise. Rather, it read like a play-by-play of the political underpinnings of the legislation leading too, and then against, Prohibition. It was dull and the intense level of detail made it really hard to pay attention to the book.
Some of the other comments complain about the authors' narration, but I think he did a fine job. After hearing the author provide commentary in Ken Burns baseball documentaries, I was happy to find that he was narrating his own book.
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Overall
- Roy
- 07-10-10
An Interesting Period in US History
I am eager to listen to books that can inform my ignorance and "Last Call" has done just that. Here Okrent tells us about the rise and fall of Prohibition. The narrative is filled with interesting characters and all manner of political maneuvering. The social context and complexity of the story is revealed in a wonderful way.
That said, I wish that something might have been said in the book about the rise of moonshiners and their daring drivers (a precursor to NASCAR?) in rural America. Yet, there is much food for thought here. The writing is enjoyable and Daniel Okrent does a great job of reading his own work.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall
- Robert
- 10-23-10
Interesting, but abridged
I had missed that this was the abridged version (usually don't go for those). The lead up to Prohibition was interesting and detailed - I didn't realize the factors that had come together to promote the passing of this amendment.
Some of the societal changes (like co-ed drinking) that came about because of prohibition were very interesting, but the story begins to feel a little rushed and there is not much detail. The after-effects feel even more rushed. Many topics such a the re-development of the brewing industry, lingering societal effects, changes to political powers, and others (NASCAR?) were hinted at but never really developed. Either the author doesn't finish well or this is a result of the abridging.
Overall, the author does a decent job reading and it is an interesting book that could really benefit from some added depth.
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Overall
- Timothy
- 10-04-10
wow
I can see history already coming around full circle. the very end of the book about the Kennedy's and Al Capone was interesting
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Overall
- Tim
- 07-01-10
Informative, but not captivating....
Let me begin by saying that I didn't realize until afterwards that this was abridged. I generally never listen to abridged books, but didn't notice this when I bought it - so it's possible that some of my criticisms may be due to the abridged recording.
I did learn a number of things about Prohibition from this book. I did not realize how intertwined the women's suffrage movement and Prohibition were. Nor did I realize some of the long term implications of Prohibition (and not all of them bad).
The degree to which this constitutional amendment was never really enforced is astounding. But even more so, the fact that you could get two thirds of the politicians and the states to vote for it.
On the surface, I felt that the author was somewhat biased in his opinions on various topics related to Prohibition, however, since this is my first read on the subject, he may be right on all counts. Some of the statements made by individuals involved were absolutely incredible!
Don't know whether to recommend this one or not. If you don't mind abridged books and have little knowledge of Prohibition, I'd go ahead and purchase. Glad I read it, but was not captivated by it either.....
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Lee Sanford
- 07-26-10
Prohibition - its seeds and legacy
Really a terrific recount of what led to Prohibition, its impact and ramifications. Lively read by the author, who has an excellent vocabulary and sense of humor.
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1 person found this helpful