Liberated spirits : two women who battled over Prohibition

Available (2)

Location	Collection	Call #
Monroeville Public Library	Non-fiction	344.73 AMBROSE
Location	Monroeville Public Library
Collection	Non-fiction
Call Number	344.73 AMBROSE
Northern Tier Regional Library	Nonfiction	344.7305 AMBRO
Location	Northern Tier Regional Library
Collection	Nonfiction
Call Number	344.7305 AMBRO

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Summary

Published Reviews

Booklist Review: "Ambrose, with assistance from Schuttler (who completed the book after Ambrose died in 2015), takes a deep dive into the politics surrounding the Eighteenth Amendment, which banned the sale of alcohol, and its relation to the rise of women in politics after the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. Ambrose focuses in particular on two female superstars in the Republican Party, Pauline Sabin, a committeewoman with ties to influential politicians, and Mabel Walker Willebrandt, a lawyer who fought tirelessly for women's property rights. Willebrandt became U.S. assistant attorney general in charge of enforcing Prohibition in 1921 and vigorously attempted to corral bootleggers, such as former Seattle police officer turned rum-runner Roy Olmstead. Sabin, who supported Prohibition for years, had an abrupt change of heart in 1928, campaigning vigorously against the law until it was overturned in 1933. Readers might hunger for more biographical details about Sabin and Willebrandt, but those looking for the political history of Prohibition will value this comprehensive accounting.--Kristine Huntley Copyright 2018 Booklist"
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Publisher's Weekly Review: "This disjointed narrative centers on two women, lawyer Mabel Walker Willebrandt and socialite Pauline Sabin, who both understood "the importance of the moment"-the passage of Prohibition and women's suffrage in quick succession-but ended up on opposite sides of the liquor ban. The authors' argument that the success or failure of Prohibition was often measured by the public in terms of the success or failure of these two women is vague and unconvincing. As U.S. assistant attorney general, Willebrandt prosecuted Prohibition violators, so Americans were likely aware of her work, but what they thought of it remains unexamined. New Yorker Sabin represents the anti-prohibitionists (or the "wets"); a rising voice within the Republican Party, she eventually sided with the faction that believed the amendment unconstitutional and ineffective. Appearing throughout the book are accounts of rumrunner Roy Olmstead, who serves as an example of the lawbreakers Willebrandt contended with. The authors skillfully handle these sections, which perk up the tale a bit, but the main personalities here had little interaction with one another, which inevitably saps narrative tension. The link between Prohibition and women's suffrage is an intriguing and somewhat underexplored angle, but interested readers won't find a gripping story here. Agent: Brian Lipson, IPG. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved."

Additional Information

Subjects	Willebrandt, Mabel Walker, -- 1889-1963. Davis, Dwight, -- Mrs., -- 1887-1955. Prohibition -- United States. Women -- Political activity -- United States -- History -- 20th century. United States -- History -- 1919-1933.
Publisher	New York :Berkley,2018
Edition	First edition.
Contributors	Schuttler, John, author.
Language	English
Description	360 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm
Bibliography Notes	Includes bibliographical references (pages 313-350) and index.
ISBN	9780451414649 0451414640
Other	Classic View