Description:
Judy Crichton, a documentary producer known for her work with PBS's The American Experience, has written a companion book for a PBS documentary about a momentous year in American history--a book that's just as great a read on its own merits. As the United States entered the 20th century, American manufacturing was conquering the globe, problems with rebels in the Philippines and the Boxer Rebellion in China were vexing, and American scientists were experimenting with therapeutic x-rays even as the automobile and the telephone gradually became commonplace. By the end of 1900, William McKinley would be reelected as president with a new running mate, Theodore Roosevelt, who would himself occupy the White House within a year. The characters and colossal events of 1900 are presented in a style both laden with facts and dramatically engaging, as Crichton presents a narrative that can rival that of a historical novel. Not only are the major figures--including William Jennings Bryan, J.P. Morgan, and Admiral Dewey--portrayed in full, rich characterizations, common Americans, from doomed miners to a Missouri teenager obsessed with books by the name of Harry Truman, are also vividly depicted. America 1900's account of what the United States was, and what it as about to become, is both a pleasure to read and a welcome illumination of a pivotal time in American history. --Robert McNamara
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