The Sunday Salon: Watching Prohibition, Part 1, A Nation of Drunkards

Partly inspired by reading Karen Blumenthal's great nonfiction book, Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition, I decided I needed to watch one of the newest Ken Burns' films, Prohibition. It is in three volumes, and I've only had time to watch the first part, A Nation of Drunkards, but I do hope to get to the second and third discs as they become available. 

I enjoyed watching this documentary! This first disc covered almost a century in American history. And there were parts of it that were truly fascinating. Many things I've just recently learned about--through reading Blumenthal's book and through watching this documentary. What I loved about this one is that it was rich in primary sources--they were quoting so many different people, and the quotes were truly brought to life by the actors. And one thing that was a very pleasant surprise was seeing Catherine Gilbert Murdock as a featured historian/researcher.

Watch Prohibition

• IF you love history
• If you love documentaries
• If you love learning new things, and enjoy having "I didn't know that!!!" moments
• If you want to see American history really come to life
• If you want to learn more about social/moral "progress" in the 19th century, the formations of clubs, unions, and other reform movements (like the Women's Christian Temperance Union, American Temperance Society, Anti-Saloon League, etc.)

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews