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daumari's review against another edition
2.0
It was ok. Taking history and framing it through a specific theme can be intriguing- literally just read a book asserting that jewels shaped some of our geopolitical history- but for most of this book it was less about alcohol and America and more on alcoholism and America. Which isn't a *bad* frame, but historical anecdotes were fairly general. Around chapter 3, I finally got that the author was drawing comparisons to her own family history (and maybe I should get out of non-fiction/genre and actually read literature because I wasn't aware of [a:John Cheever|7464|John Cheever|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1208899860p2/7464.jpg] or his work, womp womp). Some chapters were verrrry scant, like the pages on the post-Civil War temperance movement before a slightly longer chapter on alcohol and the wild west. The part I enjoyed the most was when she discussed the relationship between booze and writing in 20th century America, particularly during and after Prohibition.
tl;dr, not the worst book, but probably not in my top 10 for 2016.
tl;dr, not the worst book, but probably not in my top 10 for 2016.
hollyrebeccasmith's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting points, but perhaps a few too many leaps.
erincataldi's review against another edition
5.0
I LOVED this book! I'm a huge fan of micro-histories, and while this subject is a little broad it all come back to the booze. Soo intriguing! Author, Susan Cheever, does a brilliant job of cataloging many of the incidents that helped make America great and then launches in to how booze played a part. Trust me, a big part. Why did the pilgrims land at Plymouth? Because they were running out of beer and didn't think they could make it to the land they were actually granted. Why did everyone really love Johnny Appleseed? Because the nasty apple trees he planted weren't good for eating but WERE good for turning into cider. How much did soldiers drink in the American Revolution and the Civil War? Triple what you thought, maybe more. How did booze play a part in President KEnnedy's assassination? His security detail had partied hard the night before and were too hungover to react quickly. My view of American history is forever altered. Booze has been present every step of our country's way and it is NEVER mentioned (unless it's about the prohibition). Cheever talks about how laws have changed as is how we define drunkenness. In the eighteenth century this little diddy helped define who was drunk: "Not drunk is he who from the floor, / Can rise again and still drink more, / But drunk is he who prostrate lies, / Without the power to drink or rise." I doubt that version of sobriety would pass today. In fact during the 1820's Americans were drinking TRIPLE what we consume today!! Crazy! Cheever doesn't condone drinking but she does a great job of illustrating the negative AND positive effects booze has had on our country. A fascinating book!
bunrab's review against another edition
4.0
The big take-away from this book is at the beginning, and repeated in the conclusion: the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, instead of continuing to Virginia, because they were out of beer. A great deal of American history since then has been decisions made while drunk or looking for drink.
swirls's review against another edition
2.0
I read most of this book while mildly tipsy, which was for the best because it's repetitive and a sloppily structured. Written by the daughter of an alcoholic novelist, this thematic history is heavily influenced by her own family life with random references to her own tragic upbringing scattered throughout. But it's also peppered with interesting anecdotes about famous drunks of American history, starting with the pilgrims and ending with Nixon, and it was engaging enough for me to actually finish. Some chapters were far more interesting than others, with the first chapter on the Pilgrims the highlight of the entire work. However, she is far from dispassionate and I don't entirely trust the quality of research done here. To appreciate this, don't look for a well-structured history, but consider it an academic alcoholic's thoughts on the history of alcoholism in America.
mckenzierichardson's review against another edition
4.0
I received a copy of this book through Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.
An interesting, casual history of the influences of alcohol on American history.
This book has a unique mix of personal and historical information regarding the role of alcohol and alcoholism. The writing is well done with a bit of humor thrown in. Cheever takes well known stories such as the voyage of the Mayflower and Johnny Appleseed and uncovers the crucial role of alcohol and how it changed history.
Equal parts documenting the views of alcohol during various time periods and warning against the negative side of alcohol, this is a great read packed with information.
An interesting, casual history of the influences of alcohol on American history.
This book has a unique mix of personal and historical information regarding the role of alcohol and alcoholism. The writing is well done with a bit of humor thrown in. Cheever takes well known stories such as the voyage of the Mayflower and Johnny Appleseed and uncovers the crucial role of alcohol and how it changed history.
Equal parts documenting the views of alcohol during various time periods and warning against the negative side of alcohol, this is a great read packed with information.
merricatct's review against another edition
2.0
In her conclusion, the author draws a distinction between this book and "objective" historians like McCullough, etc; her thought is that being objective is in itself a subjective decision, since the subjectivity of the period is part of the history. But I'm a reader who likes objective history ... one of my biggest reading turn-offs is when the historian inserts themselves into the work, or their "history" is actually part memoir. Drinking in America isn't *that* bad, but this is definitely a personal subject for the author, and there's no lack of her dropping in her own anecdotes or examples from her family's experiences. It helps that her father is John Cheever, but still.
It also doesn't help that there are a lot of interesting theories here, but I just don't know how many of them are true, or true to the extent that we're supposed to believe they are. The final conclusion of several of the chapters seems to be "there isn't a historical record to back this up, but we know that people in (insert time/place) drank a lot, so therefore drinking resulted in (insert historical event or trend)." There are also some outright errors or omissions, which make me even more hesitant to buy into the author's conclusions.
Not a bad history, and certainly a quick and engaging read, but I'd say this is a good starting point from which to read further, rather than being a good reference on its own.
It also doesn't help that there are a lot of interesting theories here, but I just don't know how many of them are true, or true to the extent that we're supposed to believe they are. The final conclusion of several of the chapters seems to be "there isn't a historical record to back this up, but we know that people in (insert time/place) drank a lot, so therefore drinking resulted in (insert historical event or trend)." There are also some outright errors or omissions, which make me even more hesitant to buy into the author's conclusions.
Not a bad history, and certainly a quick and engaging read, but I'd say this is a good starting point from which to read further, rather than being a good reference on its own.
myrto229's review against another edition
3.0
This was vaguely interesting, but overall it wasn't a page-turner. I enjoyed the chapter on the pilgrims vs the Puritans, which was a very different lens through which to view the early European settlers on this continent. I also liked the chapter on the impact of alcohol on various US presidencies. But better books have been written on Prohibition and Johnny Appleseed. So, overall it was OK.
innae's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting look at the history of the United States. I did not realize alcoholism was so prevalent in our leaders (past and recent). I enjoyed the second half of the book better, in the first half I felt she interjected ALCOHOLISM preachiness where it didn't really fit - it made more sense as a conclusion, and in the chapter actually on AA.