The Age of Excess:the United States from 1877 to 1914: The United States from 1877 to 1914 Book

Age of Excess: The United States from 1877-1914 tracks the trajectory of United States domestic and foreign policy from the end of Reconstruction to the onset of the First World War. Domestic developments receive by far the most emphasis: special attention is paid to the manner in which changing methods of wealth creation were subsequently changing the country's social landscape.

The book is heavy on discussions of the growth of railroads, the fights for labor union to improve the lot of the working people, the debates over the gold standard versus more liberal coinage of silver, and the growing impact of urbanization on American social structures.

Age of Excess begins with a small scope, using several anecdotes from contemporary Americans to present the latter portion of the nineteenth century from their own perspective.

A section is dedicated to American writers and the domestic literature of the late 1800s; Henry Adams's novel The Bostonians, William Dean Howells's work The Rise of Silas Lapham, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain are examined in Chapter Seven. These are all looked at in order to demonstrate how the era's social contexts were explored by different fiction writers. Workers' rights advocate Eugene Debs and the antagonistic relationship between groups like the National Association of Manufacturers and various labor unions are detailed in the book. Owing to this, there are strikes galore, some of them even put down brutally with the backing of U.S. presidential power.

The attention paid to the struggles of women and minorities during this era takes on a more impressive hue when one considers that this book was written over five decades ago. Lillian Wald at New York's Henry Street Settlement and Jane Addams at Chicago's Hull House are not overlooked in a rush to focus only on the uber-wealthy or ultra politically connected. Age of Excess also fills readers in on the Gilded Age's Robber Barons, taking a harsh view of the captains of industry's efforts to rig the changing economy in their favor.

Ginger does not pull his punches when discussing certain Gilded Age characters; his disdain for the actions of John D. Rockefeller, Grover Cleveland, and even evangelist Dwight L. Moody (compared unfavorably to the likes of Jonathan Edwards and Jonathan Mayhew) are not hidden in some attempt at showing even handedness.

The book clearly skews toward a pro-worker perspective. It demonstrates a sensitivity to the plights of the marginalized without beating readers over the head with the author's viewpoint. The title itself tips readers off to the the angle Ray Ginger will take when exploring the massive post-Civil War growth in consumerism and big business.

Many of his observations are written in a cynical tone, and there is definite sympathy with the effort of unions to win more dignity for their workers. This introduction of some personal biases does not detract from Age of Excess; they seem part and parcel of what Ray Ginger set out to do when composing it. His desire to frame a history of the era through the lens of his own left-leaning perspective is accomplished effectively, and readers can take it or leave it while coming away feeling informed and not overly preached to.

-Andrew Canfield Denver, Colorado