Flapper: A Madcap Story of Sex, Style, Celebrity, and the Women Who Made America Modern

The subtitle of this book is A Madcap Story of Sex, Style, Celebrity, and the Women Who Made America Modern. This book, a social and cultural history of the iconic flapper, is indeed just that. It explores the authors, actresses, illustrators, magazine columnists, advertising executives, and newspaper columnists that defined the flapper of the 1920s, a girl who “was always a caricature—one part fiction one part reality, with a splash of melodrama for good measure…she was a broad and sometimes overdrawn social category” (p. 123).

This is a highly readable and compelling work of nonfiction, and a broad introduction to the period. The author covers everything—literally, everything—to give his readers a broad picture of the show more period and what made the flapper who she was—more of an image that women aspired to than anything else. Zeitz discusses several of the people who helped define the flapper image, among them F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, whose antics were famous throughout America and Europe; the actresses Colleen Moore, Clara Bow, and Louise Brooks; and Coco Chanel, famous for setting trends and inventing the little black dress.

There are lots of really interesting bits about the rise of advertising as a major business and women’s fashion not just in the early 20th century but the 19th as well. I also was interested in what early feminists and suffragettes thought of the flapper—not what I would have thought! This book is well researched, and seems a little bit gossipy at times (especially with regards to Louise Brooks, who makes Zelda Fitzgerald look like Mary Sue in comparison), but that’s the whole fun of the book. There are black and white reproductions of photographs from the era of the major players mentioned in this book. This book is definitely recommended for anyone who wants a general introduction to the 1920s and its culture. show less

In this extremely accessible and far from dry (in many senses of the word) cultural history, Joshua Zeitz captures the zeitgeist of the 20s, an era where liberty was measured more in material things than in personal rights. Each section is framed with anecdotes about influential characters and institutions like F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Lois Long from the early days of "The New Yorker," fashion phenom Coco Chanel, and silver screen stars Louise Brooks, Colleen Moore, and Clara Bow. Whether portraying the flapper phenomenon through the lens of sexuality, feminism, race, or popular culture, Zeitz has given us a complete and compelling read. -Emily

I loved this book; it’s the kind of nonfiction you can read with the same enjoyment and relaxation as a novel (to me anyway). It paints a picture of this time in a way that made me feel like I could step into it… I felt so connected to these individuals from a century ago. Will definitely reread in the future

An overall enjoyable book, I liked how they covered a wide variety of different aspects of the culture of that era and used the Flapper and her image to tie it all together. It was well written and very engaging and approachable. I liked the photographs they showed and wish they could have included more.

My one complaint is the heavy focus on the Fitzgerald's. They may have been a big influence on the culture of the time, but they were hardly the main one and it could have done with a little less on them and more on a wider variety of people.

This is one of my favorite nonfiction reads! The author does an excellent job of creating the significance and impact of this pivotal era. I was amazed to put together all of the significant changes that occurred in the twenties into one story. I think the author's use of real lives that were key to these changes made the story more real. Though very informative, it is actually a fun read!

This is one of my favorite nonfiction reads! The author does an excellent job of creating the significance and impact of this pivotal era. I was amazed to put together all of the significant changes that occurred in the twenties into one story. I think the author's use of real lives that were key to these changes made the story more real. Though very informative, it is actually a fun read!

Not a fast read - this book is dense with facts. But it's well-organized and easy to read. I really love the insights presented - the author builds a compelling description of how the changes before and during the flapper era went far to make American culture what it is today.