Review by Choice Review
When the World Broke in Two joins a growing wave of books focused on the cultural history of the US in the 1920s, for example, Linda Simons's Lost Girls: The Invention of the Flapper (CH, Apr'18, 55-3048). Following a well-worn path for historians of the 1920s, Ryan (Rider Univ.) explores such movements and themes as the role of women, intolerance, the Red Scare, and the cultural renaissance of African Americans. These are themes Ryan explored in her previous work, Red War on the Family: Sex, Gender, and Americanism in the First Red Scare (CH, Jun'15, 52-5533). That said, When the World Broke in Two is unique in that Ryan makes connections between the cultural moment of the 1920s and the political and cultural climate of the US in the present moment--the end of the second decade of the 21st century. Well researched and crisply written, this volume provides an accurate picture of US culture in the 1920s and in so doing makes a significant contribution to the literature. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. --Martin William Quirk, Rock Valley College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
