Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition Book

The best part of Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition is Daniel Okrent's account of the forces which allied with the temperance movement (notably the Ku Klux Klan, proponents of women's suffrage and evangelical Christians) to ratify the 18th Amendment (Prohibition). These groups don't necessarily seem like natural allies, but in the context of this patriotic campaign to outlaw the sale of alcohol, they somehow found common interest. They also found a common enemy in the 'lawless hordes' of immigrants who were entering the United States.

Demonizing immigrants was in full swing even before ratification and this hostility toward immigrants and ethnic minorities intensified during the 1920s. How Americans circumvented the new law of the land (the middle sections of this book) seemed like familiar territory and wasn't nearly as compelling. Less discussed was the meteoric rise of organized crime during the Prohibition-era. This would probably be familiar territory for most readers as well, but the explicit connection to the rise of organized crime in this country deserves space in any account of Prohibition's lasting impact.

There were passing references to gangsters and bootleggers and a mention of crime families in the epilogue, but the question of whether or not Joseph Kennedy was a bootlegger received more attention. This was a bit inexplicable to me; that hadn't seemed like the purpose of the book.

The unraveling and eventual repeal of the 18th Amendment; however, made many of the final sections of the book interesting. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars.