One Summer

America, 1927

By: Bill Bryson

Narrated by: Bill Bryson

Audie Award Finalist, History, 2014

One of the most admired nonfiction writers of our time retells the story of one truly fabulous year in the life of his native country - a fascinating and gripping narrative featuring such outsized American heroes as Charles Lindbergh, Babe Ruth, and yes Herbert Hoover, and a gallery of criminals (Al Capone), eccentrics (Shipwreck Kelly), and close-mouthed politicians (Calvin Coolidge). It was the year Americans attempted and accomplished outsized things and came of age in a big, brawling manner. What a country. What a summer. And what a writer to bring it all so vividly alive for us in this certain best-seller.

©2013 Bill Bryson (P)2013 Random House Audio

I wonder how he arrived at 1927...

I really loved this book! I have to wonder though, did he coincidentally hear several amazing stories that took place in '27 or what made him arrive at this year, specifically? Either way, I was shocked that so much happened during this time and Bryson painted a wonderful image of just what the time was like.

For newcomers to Bryson's work, I'd recommend "The Life & Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: a memoir," which takes you on sn adventure of just what it was like to grow up in the 1950's!

Bryson at his best

Bill Bryson is one of the best storytellers out there, and this book is exceptional. The summer of 1927 comes to life with his amazing attention to detail and ability to pull sometimes obscure facts from the past and breathe into them new life, as part of the greater narrative of the story.
I will undoubtedly listen to this book again.

A delight, as always

Bryson never fails to please me, I loved this as I have loved all of his works. It put me in the mood to go back and have a nice re-listen to all of his stuff.

A Year of Amazing History

I love history, and this was a great book. Bill has a strange cadence while reading, but I got used to it. Worth a listen.

Wow

25% through and I resolved to listen to it again. A very entertaining read of one summer and it contains so many facets: aviation, world politics and finance, boxing, baseball, tennis. And that's in the first half. Even if you know American history you may not know that people died during Prohibition because liquor was suddenly unregulated and bootleggers sometimes put poison in the booze. On a separate topic the King of England was fascinated by how Lindbergh managed emptying his bladder on his historic flight. It reads like a story you want to take to bed after a hard day.

Summary of the 20s

The narrative style of Bill’s writing makes for a great read or listen. He connects events and people that really helps the reader grabs details in memorable ways.

Simply fantastic

Bill Bryson is simply a magnificent storyteller. He brings the summer of 1927 to life by filling out the characters who dominated it as full people. If you don’t consider yourself a history buff but love good stories and interesting people, this book is for you. An absolute joy.

Fun and interesting.

I love how Bryson pronounces things. Great listen and learned a lot. I'm glad the author narrates his own books. Spot on.

Excellent, Educational and Entertaining, Narrated by Author

I completely enjoyed this work. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by the author, while reading simultaneously on Kindle. Mister Bryson is an excellent narrator of his own work. Although non fiction, there is a comedic touch to the work. The reason the book is slightly lengthy for documenting one summer, is that there is numerous relevant digressions. The book was a fun interesting reading experience. Thank You...

Very interesting information

Outstanding. Bill kept me interested throughout with his wit and unique information, most of which I did not know. There is so much about the 20's that I had heard about, but really knew very little about. I really appreciate the opportunity to hear Bill tell me more about that era.