Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Jan 2019
192 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publication Information
"Sandler's prose is vigorous, impassioned, and carefully contextualized... . A fascinating story, augmented by numerous attractive archival images. An entertaining and instructive look at a tumultuous year." - Kirkus Reviews
1919 was a world-shaking year. America was recovering from World War I and black soldiers returned to racism so violent that that summer would become known as the Red Summer. The suffrage movement had a long-fought win when women gained the right to vote. Laborers took to the streets to protest working conditions; nationalistic fervor led to a communism scare; and temperance gained such traction that prohibition went into effect. Each of these movements reached a tipping point that year.
Now, one hundred years later, these same social issues are more relevant than ever. Sandler traces the momentum and setbacks of these movements through this last century, showing that progress isn't always a straight line and offering a unique lens through which we can understand history and the change many still seek.
National Book Awards, 2019
"Sandler's narrative skill and eye for detail, and the abundant archival photos throughout, make for an engrossing resource." - Publishers Weekly
"[C]lear, cogent text with many well-chosen archival photos... . An intriguing look back at America in 1919." - Booklist
"Well researched and presented in an attractive manner, Sandler's text delivers a solid look at a pivotal year." ―School Library Journal
"Sandler's prose is vigorous, impassioned, and carefully contextualized... . A fascinating story, augmented by numerous attractive archival images. An entertaining and instructive look at a tumultuous year." - Kirkus Reviews
"Engaging and highly readable." - School Library Connection
"Sandler illuminates the relevance of history ... Discover: this centennial look at a fraught year in U.S. history makes a valiant case for 1919's outsize significance." - Shelf Awareness
"As welcome as some of 1919's beginnings might have been…many of the archival photos in "1919" capture a sense of turmoil….Sandler, a prolific historian for young readers, includes timelines that run through the present day in an effort to put the events of 1919 in historical context." - Wall Street Journal
This information about 1919 The Year That Changed America was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Martin W. Sandler is the award-winning author of Imprisoned, Lincoln Through the Lens, The Dust Bowl Through the Lens, and Kennedy Through the Lens. He has won five Emmy Awards for his writing for television and is the author of more than sixty books, four of which were YALSA-Nonfiction Award finalists. Sandler has taught American history and American studies at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and at Smith College, and lives in Massachusetts.
The Flower Sisters
by Michelle Collins Anderson
From the new Fannie Flagg of the Ozarks, a richly-woven story of family, forgiveness, and reinvention.
The Stolen Child
by Ann Hood
An unlikely duo ventures through France and Italy to solve the mystery of a child’s fate.
Fanaticism consists in redoubling your effort when you have forgotten your aim
Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
