Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition

Daniel Okrent’s new book on the history of Prohibition, “Last Call,” is chockablock with fascinating anectodes and factoids about American’s dalliance as a dry nation, but also points to some useful parallels to contemporary debates on drug policy.

“Okrent estimates that drinking declined by about 30 percent in the early years of Prohibition, but eventually Americans seemed to drink much more as alcohol became an underground industry,” writes book reviewer Alexander Nazaryan in the May 17 issue of the Christian Science Monitor. “Obviously, it could not last. Opponents of the War on Drugs will recognize the frustrating hallmarks: misspent money and wasted manpower, a legal system choked by petty cases.”

The book is published by Simon & Schuster and available for $17.55 at Amazon.com.