On the stroke of midnight on January 17, 1920, the 18th Amendment to the Constitution went into effect across the United States. From that moment on, it was illegal to buy or sell alcoholic drinks of any kind (unless one had special medical or religious permission—exceptions that were exploited regularly). The Act's proponents hoped that it would reduce crime and poverty. It did not. In fact, quite infamously, the very opposite happened.
Thanks in part to Prohibition, which lasted from 1920 until the 18th Amendment's official repeal in 1933, the Roaring Twenties was a decade filled with discarded inhibitions and romanticized crime. Gangsters like Al Capone built their fortunes on supplying illegal liquor and were willing to go to extreme, violent lengths to protect their empires. The law had an outsized impact on the poor and working class, who no longer had reliable access to good-quality drinks and were sometimes disabled or even killed by the toxic ingredients in unregulated bootleg liquor.
Prohibition was an unmitigated failure—not even the congressmen who helped craft the law could be bothered to hide the fact that they were flouting it—and to this day, the 18th Amendment remains the only constitutional amendment to have ever been repealed. Whether you want to know more about the people who helped define the period, the social factors that led to its rise and demise, or its lingering effects on American culture, these listens are just the thing.
Nonfiction about the Prohibition Era
Narrated by veteran actor Richard Poe, Last Call is one of the most comprehensive examinations of Prohibition available today. It takes you through the entire, complex history behind the 18th Amendment's genesis and passage, then explores how the United States changed over the 13 years that followed. Prohibition history is an expansive subject, but author Daniel Okrent does an admirable job of distilling it all into a single, immersive volume.
Was a real-life 1920s crook the inspiration for one of the world's most iconic fictional characters? Just before the small-time bootlegger Max Gerlach died, he tried to reveal a little-known fact—he was the inspiration for F. Scott Fitzgerald's mysterious Jay Gatsby. Was he telling the truth? In this insightful Audible Original, reporter Joe Nocera and producer Poppy Damon investigate this century-old literary mystery and uncover untold secrets about the celebrated American novel.
Women played a key part in getting the 18th Amendment passed—and in getting it repealed once its limitations became known. Hugh Ambrose and John Schuttler's Liberated Spirits follows the remarkable professional journeys of Pauline Sabin, who became an outspoken critic of the amendment, and Mabel Willebrandt, the assistant attorney general who did all she could to enforce it. The voice of award-winning narrator Cassandra Campbell helps to revive the forgotten but pivotal stories of these women.
Want a crash course in Prohibition's history that is thoroughly engrossing? From American History Tellers, this podcast hits all of the major points over the course of seven episodes. Drawing from a variety of sources, Prohibition quickly explains the many factors—including societal changes and increased xenophobia post-World War I—that led to the staggering passage of a national law making one of America's favorite pastimes illegal. Dive right into the series with the first episode, “Closing Time."
The 1920s are remembered as a time of glitz and excess, especially compared to the Depression that followed and particularly in the Sunshine State. Across Florida, various colorful characters contributed to a real estate boom that made a few men rich—and helped bring the national economy down when the bubble burst. Narrated with calm precision by Fred Sanders, Christopher Knowlton's Bubble in the Sun is a revealing, and sadly relevant, look at the dangers of rampant speculation.
Performed by actor Armando Riesco, Nothing but the Night sheds new light on two infamous Prohibition-era criminals—Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, wealthy young men who murdered a younger boy in 1924. The facts of the matter were quickly lost in the media coverage, the trial, and the creative works (including Alfred Hitchcock's film Rope) that followed. This audiobook, written by Greg King and Penny Wilson, sets the record straight on Leopold and Loeb, the crime they committed, their relationship to each other, and the way they changed America.
Speaking of Prohibition-era criminals, you can't get any more high-profile than Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. During those few years when Prohibition and the Great Depression intersected, they cut a swath through the Midwest, robbing banks and gunning down innocent civilians and police alike. From the couple's first meeting to the final, legendary shootout that killed them both, Karen Blumenthal's Bonnie and Clyde covers it all. This book is narrated by the exceptional Gabra Zackman, a favorite of fans and critics alike.
Fiction set in the Prohibition Era
When Prohibition was in effect, folks in the distillery business would often protect their profits by any means necessary. Such was the case with the Bondurant brothers of Franklin County, Virginia, who became involved in a multitude of crimes—many far worse than running moonshine. Written by Matt Bondurant, based on the true story of his grandfather and two great uncles, and narrated by actor Erik Steele, The Wettest County in the World is a gripping novel and the inspiration for the 2012 Tom Hardy film Lawless.
The phrase "the Roaring Twenties" may bring to mind images of glitzy parties and endless frivolity, but for ordinary people— especially those like Zia, a poor Italian immigrant who faces discrimination from those in power and judgment from her conservative family—it wasn't always fun. After violent crimes start happening in Zia's own backyard, she must go undercover at her cousin's nightclub, the titular Orchid Hour, to find the truth about both the murders and her own desires. Quinn Kitmitto deftly narrates Nancy Bilyeau's work, switching between the characters' different accents with ease.
Award-winning narrator Natalie Naudus performs The Chosen and the Beautiful, Nghi Vo's refreshingly original take on that most revered of 1920s novels, The Great Gatsby. Jordan is a queer, Vietnamese American woman who, despite her money and privilege, is still treated as an exotic outsider by her white peers. But Jordan has a secret weapon of her own. Can she learn to use it to her advantage and finally gain the respect she deserves?
Performed by Audible Hall of Fame Narrator Bahni Turpin, Avery Cunningham's The Mayor of Maxwell Street tells the story of star-crossed lovers united in a dangerous mission. Though from vastly different worlds, wealthy investigative journalist Nelly and scrappy speakeasy owner Jay are connected by the limits society places on people of their race. They are also bound by their desire to bring down the so-called Mayor of Maxwell Street, a vicious criminal who would sooner burn Chicago to the ground than give up a shred of influence.
Dollface centers on an impoverished young woman, Vera, who is desperate for freedom and fun—so desperate that she doesn't care how or with whom she gets what she wants. She befriends two well-connected gentlemen eager to show her a good time, only to later realize they are both mobsters involved in what will soon explode into the most violent gang war Chicago has ever seen. Can Vera get out in time, or is she already in too deep? Accomplished audiobook narrator Rebekkah Ross keeps listeners riveted to Renée Rosen's suspenseful tale of a flapper entangled in an infamous massacre.
The survivor of a harrowing trauma in her teens, Louisa now just wants to do her job, enjoy her off hours at the speakeasy, and forget about everything bad happening in the world. But when the bad things find her, Louisa has no choice but to confront her past in order to protect other young Black women from suffering and dying. Dead Dead Girls is the first in Nekesa Afia's Harlem Renaissance Mystery trilogy, all brilliantly narrated by the celebrated Shayna Small.
In her dazzling youth, Honoree Dalcour was a Chicago club dancer who rubbed elbows with a famous film director. Nearly a century later, that relationship prompts Sawyer, a young film student reeling from loss, to seek out the now frail centenarian for help on a project—and he ends up getting far more than he bargained for. Gifted narrators Tracey Conyer Lee and Ronald Peet bring both time periods—the mid-1920s and the mid-2010s—and various characters to life in Denny S. Bryce's Wild Women and the Blues, a story of secrets kept and finally told.
Eileen Gonzalez is a freelance writer from Connecticut. She has a Master's degree in communications and years of experience writing about pop culture. She contributes to Book Riot and Foreword Reviews.
