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What Were the Roaring Twenties?
Flappers, flag-pole sitting, and the Ford Model T--these are just a few of the things that instantly conjure up a unique era--the Roaring Twenties.
It was the bees' knees, the cat's meow. If you're not familiar with 1920s slang, all the more reason to read this fascinating look at that wild, exciting decade. It began on the heels of one tragedy--the flu pandemic of 1918--and ended with the start of the Great Depression. But in between there were plenty of good times--the Model T cars that Henry Ford made were cheap enough for the masses, the new sound of jazz heated up speakeasies and nightclubs during the time of Prohibition. Women, recently given the right to vote, cut their long hair into bobs, wore short skirts and makeup, and danced the Charleston (sometimes in marathons that lasted days). Michele Mortlock hits all the highlights of this heady age that still feels modern even a hundred years later.
It was the bees' knees, the cat's meow. If you're not familiar with 1920s slang, all the more reason to read this fascinating look at that wild, exciting decade. It began on the heels of one tragedy--the flu pandemic of 1918--and ended with the start of the Great Depression. But in between there were plenty of good times--the Model T cars that Henry Ford made were cheap enough for the masses, the new sound of jazz heated up speakeasies and nightclubs during the time of Prohibition. Women, recently given the right to vote, cut their long hair into bobs, wore short skirts and makeup, and danced the Charleston (sometimes in marathons that lasted days). Michele Mortlock hits all the highlights of this heady age that still feels modern even a hundred years later.
112 pages, Paperback
Published October 16, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
November 24, 2023
4.5 stars. SYNOPSIS: "Flappers, flag-pole sitting, and the Ford Model T--these are just a few of the things that instantly conjure up a unique era--the Roaring Twenties.
It was the bees' knees, the cat's meow. If you're not familiar with 1920s slang, all the more reason to read this fascinating look at that wild, exciting decade. It began on the heels of one tragedy--the flu pandemic of 1918--and ended with the start of the Great Depression. But in between there were plenty of good times--the Model T cars that Henry Ford made were cheap enough for the masses, the new sound of jazz heated up speakeasies and nightclubs during the time of Prohibition. Women, recently given the right to vote, cut their long hair into bobs, wore short skirts and makeup, and danced the Charleston (sometimes in marathons that lasted days)."
It was the bees' knees, the cat's meow. If you're not familiar with 1920s slang, all the more reason to read this fascinating look at that wild, exciting decade. It began on the heels of one tragedy--the flu pandemic of 1918--and ended with the start of the Great Depression. But in between there were plenty of good times--the Model T cars that Henry Ford made were cheap enough for the masses, the new sound of jazz heated up speakeasies and nightclubs during the time of Prohibition. Women, recently given the right to vote, cut their long hair into bobs, wore short skirts and makeup, and danced the Charleston (sometimes in marathons that lasted days)."
March 23, 2019
5.0
Does a great job covering a wide variety of important historical events.
Does a great job covering a wide variety of important historical events.
February 13, 2022
Interesting little children's book on history of the Roaring Twenties. Illustrated, with timelines and a bibliography.
December 14, 2019
Excellent! Going into it, I was worried that they might leave out Sacco and Vanzetti, women’s liberation, racial problems, the disaster of Prohibition, media control of consumers, irrational fear of immigrants and Communism/Socialism, the Scopes Trial or horrible Wall Street speculation and predatory practices by banks and corporations that continues to this day, but to my delight, all of that was in there!
My only complaints are that they did not mention a word about Eugene V. Debs who has inspired Bernie Sanders or the fact that Charles Lindbergh would later show his true fascist colors with the “America First” movement that has inspired Trump’s. The former definitely should have been mentioned, but the latter was post-20’s Lindbergh, so I can overlook that.
Despite the abysmal omission of Debs, this was an excellent book which covered the main issues of the time and will give readers an accurate portrayal of the period that largely shaped what America is today. Since then, America has repeated the insane boom-bust cycle without learning its lesson, bailing out the corrupt rich elites every time without fail while criminalizing and trapping the victims who lost their jobs in poverty.
It’s time we learned from history.
It’s time for a New New Deal.
My only complaints are that they did not mention a word about Eugene V. Debs who has inspired Bernie Sanders or the fact that Charles Lindbergh would later show his true fascist colors with the “America First” movement that has inspired Trump’s. The former definitely should have been mentioned, but the latter was post-20’s Lindbergh, so I can overlook that.
Despite the abysmal omission of Debs, this was an excellent book which covered the main issues of the time and will give readers an accurate portrayal of the period that largely shaped what America is today. Since then, America has repeated the insane boom-bust cycle without learning its lesson, bailing out the corrupt rich elites every time without fail while criminalizing and trapping the victims who lost their jobs in poverty.
It’s time we learned from history.
It’s time for a New New Deal.
May 28, 2020
I like these books as a good overview of a topic. Maybe not the most “literary” book, but my kids enjoy them!
May 3, 2022
Jam-packed with information from music to movies and actors to stock and spending habits, inventions, and fashion and dancing. This book gives a little of everything. I think it is a good book for anyone who is interested in a nice quick summary of that era. I also think it is suitable for children around 9. You could read it to children as young as 7, but there’s so much information that I think a 9 year old would grasp more without as much explanation. Or you could read it at a slower pace for a younger audience and go through explanations as needed. This is my third book in the series that I am previewing to read to my children at a future date and I would recommend.
February 3, 2026
“New inventions made it possible to spend less time doing chores and to have more time for fun.”
This quick read is a nice walk through what made the Roaring Twenties special. As the book points out, not every decade gets a nickname, and the twenties merited more than one. The Jazz Age brought us music and art that still speaks to modern audiences, the decade introduced a style of clothing and hairstyles that are iconic and instantly recognizable.
I appreciate that this book balances the joy and frivolity of the decades against the Spanish Flu and Great Depression.
This quick read is a nice walk through what made the Roaring Twenties special. As the book points out, not every decade gets a nickname, and the twenties merited more than one. The Jazz Age brought us music and art that still speaks to modern audiences, the decade introduced a style of clothing and hairstyles that are iconic and instantly recognizable.
I appreciate that this book balances the joy and frivolity of the decades against the Spanish Flu and Great Depression.
July 26, 2021
OF course, a children's book is only going to cover it superficially, but even the superficial coverage captured women's rights, the Harlem Renaissance and emergence of Jazz and Blues into the musical landscape, trends, prohibition, mobs, the assembly line and the rapid increase of consumer debt and buying stocks on margin, which led to the stock market crash in 1929.
Quite good.
Quite good.
May 14, 2025
WOW what a busy decade! So many things happened in both American and world history that this book covered during the decade of the 1920s. The format was very interesting and easy to read. This would be a good beginning for a history class to read about the decade.
November 9, 2025
I really enjoyed reading this one for the school library. I love nonfiction and this book felt very accessible to young readers while also sharing information that I didn't know and which was very interesting.
December 14, 2018
I liked it
February 1, 2019
I liked it.
March 16, 2019
The 20's were really something ol' sport.
August 12, 2019
I love the fashion and culture from this time period.
June 28, 2020
If I could I would rate this book 10.0! I loved it.
January 9, 2021
A very small book for the introduction of 20s in the U.S. Everything mentioned in the book can be other topics of books or movies.
July 5, 2021
Fun read
February 12, 2023
There were mistakes in this book, such as calling an actress an actor. Also, it felt like it was extremely limited on information.
March 20, 2023
I really enjoyed this book. A nice overview of the decade. Also a selection of black and white photos from the time at the end of the book.
August 1, 2024
Really enjoyed reading about the economic and social elements that drove this decade, and which continue to drive our American society today.
April 24, 2025
Great book that talks about the Roaring twenties to the Great Depression!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 1, 2025
So fascinating!!! Such an interesting time in American history — one of my fav time periods ❤️
September 22, 2025
Another great book in this series. Library borrow
November 12, 2025
This book helped me learn a lot about the 1920s. It helped me with my English essay.
August 22, 2022
I'm using this for a Universal Design for Learning lesson plan. It provides great information and visuals for an elementary-level class. My only concern is that there is not enough representation of all minorities that existed in the USA back then, and not sure how to make this engaging if I were to teach Latino students learning English. And nothing on disability rights. I understand that eugenics is a touchy subject that can be difficult to break down for younger children.
May 23, 2025
𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝, 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐟𝐮𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐲. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝟏𝟎/𝟏𝟎 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬.
December 1, 2019
Loved it
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews