Prohibition Era, Factual / Biographical -- Recommendations?

[GangsterFiction]

Hi everyone,

I'd very much like to expand my collection of books on the Prohibition Era in general (and gangsters / bootleggers in particular) to help with research for a project I'm working on--an 'interactive fiction' novel set in that era, where the reader assumes the role of the protagonist.

I am especially interested in anything originally printed between, say, 1930-1960 (and likely hard to find!), but any recommendations would be very much appreciated.

Many thanks,
-Bob

[Ash]

A modern novel by Thomas Mallon called Band Box takes place in that era. Its about a magazine trying to keep going. Good for some background stuff.

I have a great story my mom used to tell on her father about how he 'forced' her to deliver his bootleg liquor at the time....if it will help :)

[annis]

As far as fiction goes, something from the era itself like Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby or Dashiell Hammett's Red Harvest perhaps? More recently published, Thomas Mullen's novel Last Town on Earth and its sequel The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers are well worth a read.

Haven't read that much non-fiction around the era (though I thought the HBO series Boardwalk Empire captured the feel of the times pretty well, and was in fact loosely based on a book of the same name by Nelson Johnson) I did read Karen Blumenthal's Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition, though and found it informative.

[GangsterFiction]

Much appreciated--some great suggestions there. :)

I have a great story my mom used to tell on her father about how he 'forced' her to deliver his bootleg liquor at the time....if it will help :)

That would be wonderful, thanks. I'm very much trying to immerse myself in the era in hopes of conveying that "feel" in my writing, hence looking to find more original works wherever possible.

[Ash]

When my two uncles were about 9 or 10 years old, they were responsible for giving my mom and younger brother (both toddlers) a walk around the neighborhood . My grandfather would have delivery bottles tucked into various pockets of the strollers and in between blankets, and the boys would make deliveries while the sweet babies were cooing and babbling. This went on for several months until zayde managed to cause an explosion that destroyed their house and family store. (fortunately no one was hurt; and gramps avoided jail or fine by moving his family out of town) We used to tease mom for bootlegging at an early age (which is really funny because, while she was no teatottler, she rarely drank as an adult).

[GangsterFiction]

That's a great story, thank you. Very evocative of the era and the lengths people would go to! I'd heard of the purpose-designed 'rummy-apron' before (worn beneath an overcoat or similar) for smuggling bottles of bootleg on foot, but your grandfather's idea was sheer genius. :D

It sounds like his copper still exploded, which as I understand it was one of the main hazards of the occupation. On the positive side, he was very lucky--many have been scalded to death when that occurred.

Thanks for sharing. :)

[Ash]

BTW when I wrote that post I had trouble remembering the right word for the 'strollers' of that time. They were called prams or baby carriages.

[GangsterFiction]

That's fascinating, as they're still usually called "prams" in UK English (being a Brit myself, using American spellings and terminology is one of the toughest challenges for this project--even just little things like theatre / theater!).

Would you mind if I used your story in one of my scenes?

[Ash]

Sure, if I can get an ARC :)

[GangsterFiction]

Sure, if I can get an ARC :)

Well, I must admit, I had to google that one. I swiftly decided that you probably weren't interested in "a lossless data compression and archival file format" or indeed, an "AIDS Related Complex" (highly unlikely to be on your wish-list, it must be said), which left the only really logical choices as being either the "ARC-170 Star Wars starfighter" (hmm, good possibility--I mean, who wouldn't want one, right?) or, perhaps slightly more likely under the circumstances, an "Advance Reading Copy". Aha! thinks I.

Easily solved! This project is actually an online story-game ('multiple choice' interactive fiction) and the first two chapters are already available. I've posted the link in my "Musclin' In!" thread in the Introduce Yourself section of this forum.

[MLE]

Water for Elephants is a recent bestseller set in that era, which also includes a storyline involving a condition known as 'the Jake walk' from a certain patent medicine know as Jamaican Ginger.
Might come in handy if one of your character's options is jumping a circus train. It's also a pretty good read.

[GangsterFiction]

Thanks, that sounds like an interesting read--the circuses of that era often make a great setting for a good story.

[MLE]

Thanks, that sounds like an interesting read--the circuses of that era often make a great setting for a good story.
One caveat I have to put in as an animal trainer: I had to work very hard to suspend disbelief on the lady who ran a liberty horse act. No matter how much a 'natural' you are with animals, it takes years, coached by people who have spent a lifetime at it, to get to a performance level. In real life, this kind of act runs in families, handed down from parent to child.

Plus the spouse with his bizarre actions, would never have been tolerated that long. Performance animals require a level of trust, or at the least, consistency. And elephants are justifiably famous for their long memory and ability to hold a grudge. Camels, too.

But most people won't have a problem with that part. Hope I didn't ruin it for you! :p

[GangsterFiction]

Hehe. I'm sure I'll be adding a few more of my own to the list! I must admit, these days I do tend to read with a much more critical eye than I used to. ;)