Bootleg

Spanning from the late 1800s to the 1930s and beyond, Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition tells chronologically what happened in America to lead to prohibition, and what happened before, during and after the years of the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution.


From children drinking alcohol to them smuggling homebrewed bathtub gin to Mother's Against Drunk Driving, Bootleg tells the story of the wet and dry times in an informative, yet slightly humorous, way, which is easy for kids, teens and adults to understand and enjoy. A glossary contains terms used during prohibition, such as "hooch Slang for alcohol. Other slang words in the 1920s included 'apple-jack,' 'giggle water,' white lightening,' and 'whoopee'" and "ombibulous A term coined by the newspaper writer H.L. Mencken to describe his support of all kids of alcohol, despite prohibition. 'I'm ombibulous. I drink every known alcoholic drink and enjoy them all,' he said." Bootleg also contains many period photographs, an extensive bibliography and an index of terms.


Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 2011 (Vol. 79, No. 8)) says, "Blumenthal acknowledges that Prohibition was successful in some notable ways: Arrests for public intoxication declined as did alcohol-related diseases such as cirrhosis of the liver. Whatever positive outcomes there were, however, were eclipsed by the widespread corruption and violence of bootlegging. An informative, insightful account of a fascinating period of American history."


Pairing this with an historical fiction book set around the time of prohibition, like Vixen and Ingenue by Jillian Larkin, would give the teen reader an insight into exactly what was going on during that period of history.

Blumenthal, Karen. 2011. Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition. New York: Roaring Brook Press. ISBN 9781596434493