{"product_id":"9781250115409","title":"Tommy : The Gun That Changed America","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eTommy\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Karen Blumenthal\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe fascinating and topical nonfiction story of how one gun changed American courtrooms, streets, and homes, told for a YA audience by award-winning author Karen Blumenthal\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJohn Taliaferro Thompson had a mission: to develop a lightweight, fast-firing weapon that would help Americans win on the battlefield. His Thompson submachine gun could deliver a hundred bullets in a matter of seconds—but didn't find a market in the U.S. military. Instead, the Tommy gun became the weapon of choice for a generation of bootleggers and bank-robbing outlaws, and became a deadly American icon. Following a bloody decade—and eighty years before the mass shootings of our own time—Congress moved to take this weapon off the streets, igniting a national debate about gun control. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCritically-acclaimed author Karen Blumenthal, author of \u003ci\u003eBootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition, Hillary Rodham Clinton: A Woman Living History,\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eSix Days in October: The Stock Market Crash of 1929\u003c\/i\u003e, reveals the fascinating illustrated story of this famous and deadly weapon—of the lives it changed, the debate it sparked, and the unprecedented response it inspired in \u003ci\u003eTommy: The Gun That Changed America\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for Tommy: The Gun that Changed America:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The Thompson  rapid-firing submachine gun is the crux of Blumenthal’s accessible social  history, which encompasses military weaponry, gangster warfare, and  gun-control legislation. . . . Engrossing and grisly.” —\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Blumenthal’s fascinating biography of the  weapon is most dramatic in its chapters on the famous gangsters. . . . Lively  prose, well-selected photographs, and thorough source notes round out this  fine work. A gripping look at guns, gangsters, and finding the ‘right balance  between individual freedoms and community safety.'” —\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Lively prose, well-selected photographs, and thorough source notes round out this fine work. A gripping look at guns, gangsters, and finding the 'right balance between individual freedoms and community safety'.” —\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews, starred review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[An] accessible social history, which encompasses military weaponry, gangster warfare, and gun-control legislation.” —\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly, starred review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Peppered with action-filled scenes and period photographs...This thoroughly researched, compulsive read is another Blumenthal winner. A bang-up look at American history.” —\u003ci\u003eBooklist, starred review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Blumenthal breathes life into this seemingly off-putting subject. . . this action-packed title will hold the attention of reluctant readers and history buffs alike.” —\u003ci\u003eSchool Library Journal, starred review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“In this biography of a gun and the times in which it lived, Blumenthal traces the Thompson submachine gun, a.k.a. the Tommy. . . With thorough research and impeccable documentation, [Blumenthal] shows the complexity of gun culture, leaving more questions than answers concerning contemporary use and misuse of firearms and the future of Second Amendment battles.” —\u003ci\u003eHorn Book\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A great story well told.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLong-listed CCBC Choice (Univ. of WI)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9781250115409\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Square Fish","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":40619740070094,"sku":"9781250115409","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/getimage_78c623f3-0357-4582-8548-93c9cc5eb236.jpg?v=1638407684","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9781250115409","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}