This may be a book that you have to be a USian, or immersed in US history and culture, to be able to follow fully --- which is a failure on Bryson's part, because he should have written more clearly, with more set-up and background, and less from inside his own personal awareness of the subject. The book made total sense to me when I read it, but then a) I'm a Yank, b) I'm a history buff, and c) I know a fair amount about the history and culture of the US in the 1920s. I went into the book primed and ready, so to speak.
I think the baseball thing is because the summer of 1927 is arguably the season when baseball finished the transition from being a Big Deal in the US to being a huge national obsession. The 1927 New York Yankees lineup was, and still is, arguably the best major league baseball team in history. In part because of those brilliant players, particularly Babe Ruth, several major records were set or shattered that season, and the US went all-out, gonzo whopper, round the bend and down the straightaway baseball-mad. The impact lasted for decades before baseball sagged somewhat in popularity. If you ever have a chance to read some of Ray Bradbury's stories about being a boy in Illinois in the 1920s, that could help you get a feel for the impact of baseball in the US in 1927.
Thanks for your insight and that was the major sticking point with me when i read this. I will check out Bradbury's book on growing up in Illinois, as he is an author i have read (Martian Chronicles) and i like.
I think the baseball thing is because the summer of 1927 is arguably the season when baseball finished the transition from being a Big Deal in the US to being a huge national obsession. The 1927 New York Yankees lineup was, and still is, arguably the best major league baseball team in history. In part because of those brilliant players, particularly Babe Ruth, several major records were set or shattered that season, and the US went all-out, gonzo whopper, round the bend and down the straightaway baseball-mad. The impact lasted for decades before baseball sagged somewhat in popularity. If you ever have a chance to read some of Ray Bradbury's stories about being a boy in Illinois in the 1920s, that could help you get a feel for the impact of baseball in the US in 1927.
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