Bubble in the Sun
The Florida Boom of the 1920s and How It Brought on the Great Depression
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Bubble in the Sun
Narrated by:
Fred Sanders
Buy Now for £12.99
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Narrated by:
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Fred Sanders
About this listen
The 1920s in Florida was a time of incredible excess, immense wealth, and precipitous collapse. The decade there produced the largest human migration in American history, far exceeding the settlement of the West, as millions flocked to the grand hotels and the new cities that rose rapidly from the teeming wetlands. The boom spawned a new subdivision civilization—and the most egregious large-scale assault on the environment in the name of “progress.” Nowhere was the glitz and froth of the Roaring Twenties more excessive than in Florida. Here was Vegas before there was a Vegas: gambling was condoned and so was drinking, since prohibition was not enforced. Tycoons, crooks, and celebrities arrived en masse to promote or exploit this new and dazzling American frontier in the sunshine. Yet, the import and deep impact of these historical events have never been explored thoroughly until now.
In Bubble in the Sun Christopher Knowlton examines the grand artistic and entrepreneurial visions behind Coral Gables, Boca Raton, Miami Beach, and other storied sites, as well as the darker side of the frenzy. For while giant fortunes were being made and lost and the nightlife raged more raucously than anywhere else, the pure beauty of the Everglades suffered wanton ruination and the workers, mostly black, who built and maintained the boom, endured grievous abuses.
Knowlton breathes dynamic life into the forces that made and wrecked Florida during the decade: the real estate moguls Carl Fisher, George Merrick, and Addison Mizner, and the once-in-a-century hurricane whose aftermath triggered the stock market crash. This essential account is a revelatory—and riveting—history of an era that still affects our country today.
Listeners also enjoyed...
Listeners, I wasn't disappointed. I know it's a hackneyed phrase but it's a fascinating story. Well told. Great ensemble cast.. Some of the speculators, investors, socialites were as entertaining as Lemmon, Brown, Curtis, Monroe. And I'm certainly convinced the author's premises, that the land boom in Florida and its collapse was the cue break (8 ball in the corner pocket) which put in motion the start of the Great Depression in the US.
Fred Sanders did an excellent job of narrating the book. He certainly sounded as if he was interested in the topic, too. It's not always been my experience with readers of non-fiction. Sometimes if the subject doesn't float their boat; the listener kens. A smile can help modulate the voice. And I think Mr Saunders smiled through this one. There were many subtle but effective vocal techniques he employed to differentiate the rogues and gentlemen and ladies and golddiggers you'll meet in Bubble in the Sun.
Recommended.
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