Kerry Jones is an English professor and time traveler. Sort of. Today, she takes us back to the dawn of the 20th century on Why Should I Read This?
E. L. Doctorow couldn’t have predicted our current fascination with the “Gilded Age” when he published his novel Ragtime in 1975. But Doctorow takes readers back to that time period as America was settling into the 20th century. He weaves hope, injustice, and ambition into the lives of three families whose worlds collide as they reach out in search of the American Dream, and America itself begins to transform before the contemporary readers’ very eyes. In addition to the fictional characters, some real-life historical figures make appearances throughout the novel as well, like Harry Houdini, Henry Ford, and Emma Goldman. Ragtime is a fascinating ride–and one that deftly mixes pain and humor–as we’re transported back to a time when there was hope that all things just might be possible.
