There was an irony to the reality of Prohibition. When the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution banning alcohol production and sales was passed, supporters, who saw alcohol as the root of all evil, believed “crime would soon disappear, jails would close, and hospitals would lose patients. Families would flourish and America would prosper as never before.” Instead, Prohibition resulted in the rise of unlawful behavior among everyday citizens, and violent crime among those who saw the opportunity to profit from illegal alcohol production and sales, including infamous Al Capone. Karen Blumenthal takes a look at the decades-long battle for temperance leading up to Prohibition before documenting its impact as even the most distinguished of citizens blithely ignored the law. In families where illegal alcohol production provided income, even children were involved in deceiving authorities. From big cities to rural America, Prohibition proved ineffective, and sometimes disastrous. Blumenthal’s account includes black-and-white photographs, a glossary, and a lengthy bibliography and list of sources.

It began with the best of intentions. Worried about the effects of alcohol on American families, mothers and civic leaders started a movement to outlaw drinking in public places. Over time, their protests, petitions, and activism paid off—when a Constitional Amendment banning the sale and consumption of alcohol was ratified, it was hailed as the end of public drunkenness, alcoholism, and a host of other social ills related to booze. Instead, it began a decade of lawlessness, when children smuggled (and drank) illegal alcohol, the most upright citizens casually broke the law, and a host of notorious gangsters entered the public eye. Filled with period art and photographs, anecdotes, and portraits of unique characters from the era, this fascinating book looks at the rise and fall of the disastrous social experiment known as Prohibition.

Bootleg is a 2011 Kirkus Best Teen Books of the Year title.
One of School Library Journal's Best Nonfiction Books of 2011.
YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Finalist in 2012.