Centenarians: The Story of the 20th Century by the Americans Who Lived It Horror Book Review

An oral history of the twentieth century in America.

By 1990, over 37,000 Americans had lived to the age of one hundred. Their lives spanned world wars, the Depression, the rise and demise of the great Red Menace, and the emergence of the United States as a world power.

Through interviews with centenarians across the country, Bernard Edelman draws a dazzling portrait of Americans in the twentieth century, evoking the work ethic of rural farms, the nation’s awe at inventions such as the automobile, and the collective despair at the onset of world war. These recollections are a treasure of the century’s social history. The young immigrant survivor who can still smell the smoke of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. The rookie pitcher who struck out the first batter he ever faced in the big leagues: Ty Cobb. The dashing artillery officer who won a Silver Star in the Great War. The officer in the Quartermaster Corps who witnessed the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. The motorcycle racer who barnstormed the nation, setting records that will never be broken. The feisty woman who led a walkout at the premiere of Gone With the Wind. The man who invented Pampers.

Their memories serve as a timeless reminder of life in twentieth-century America.