1927 and the Rise of Modern America

by Charles J. Shindo

When Charles Lindbergh landed at LeBourget Airfield on May 21, 1927, his transatlantic flight symbolized the new era--not only in aviation but also in American culture. The 1920s proved to be a transitional decade for the United States, shifting the nation from a production-driven economy to a consumption-based one, with adventurous citizens breaking new ground even as many others continued clinging to an outmoded status quo. In his new book, Charles Shindo reveals how one year in particular encapsulated the complexity of this transformation in American culture. Shindo's absorbing look at 1927 shatters the stereotypes of the Roaring '20s as a time of frivolity and excess, revealing instead a society torn between holding on to its glorious past while trying to navigate a brave new world. His book is a compelling and entertaining dissection of the year that has come to represent the apex of 1920s culture, combining references from popular films, music, literature, sports, and politics in a captivating look back at change in the making. As Shindo notes, while Lindbergh's flight was a defining event, there were others: The Jazz Singer, for example, brought sound to the movies, and the 15 millionth Model T rolled off of Ford's assembly line. Meanwhile, the era's supposed live-for-today frivolity was clouded by Prohibition, the revival of the Ku Klux Klan, and the execution of Sacco and Vanzetti. Such events, Shindo explains, reflected a fundamental disquiet running beneath the surface of a nation seeking to accommodate and understand a broad array of changes--from new technology to natural disasters, from women's forays into the electorate to African-Americans' migration to the urban north. Shindo, however, also notes that this was an era of celebrity. He not only examines why Lindbergh and Ford were celebrated but also considers the rise and growing popularity of the infamous, like convicted murderers Ruth Snyder and Judd Gray, and he illuminates the explosive growth of professional sports and stars like baseball's Babe Ruth. In addition, he takes a close look at cinematic heroines like Mary Pickford and the "It" girl Clara Bow to demonstrate the conflicting images of women in popular culture. Distinctive and insightful, Shindo's richly detailed analysis of 1927's key events and personalities reveals the multifaceted ways in which people actually came to grips with change and learned to embrace an increasingly modern America.

Genres: Education

256 pages, Hardcover

First published March 26, 2010

About the author

Charles J. Shindo is professor of history at Louisiana State University and author of Dust Bowl Migrants in the American Imagination.

Reviews

[John Rosenfelder]

Interesting info about the growth of radio and popular culture.

[N.W. Martin]

An interesting examination of the 20s. The only gripe I had was his emphasis on the events leading up to the events of '27 and not event themselves. For instance, he only sparingly mentions Linbergh's flight, though he markets its importance in the introduction. One of the bright spots, however, was his analysis on the changing roles of women in modern society. I really enjoyed his input on Mary Pickford and Clara Bow as well as other less notable artists, feminists, etc. He could've went deeper into the Harlem Renaissance though. Too often Shindo would restate his claim rather than provide concrete evidence for his explanation. In the conclusion, he redeems himself with a well analyzed couple pages of My Egypt (a brilliant modern painting).

I recommend this book for the casual reader willing to take what they already know about the tradition vs modern mentality of the 20s (around the world) and willing to question Shindo's opinion with their own. For the most part, you won't find anything new as you would in, lets say, Franz Kafka's In The Penal Colony, Virginia Woolf's To The Lighthouse (in a micro-scale, and from a lit. perspective) or many other Avant-Garde writers for that matter. Shindo is adamant that there isn't a modernism because it intertwined with traditional Victorian values, and he defends himself well, albeit he isn't entirely correct. Even Americans like Louis Armstrong sought the avant-garde modernisms in the dying embers of Victorian ideology, but, overall, Shindo does a good job at bringing the 20s to life.

[Jasmine]

Hehe, Don't Ask, it was for a history class.