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Bottom of the pile
11
/100
I Index Overall Rating
Readers
5/100Critics
17/100Scholars
Author:
Michael Knox Beran
Publisher:
Pegasus Books
Date:
August 3, 2021
WASPS traces the rise and fall of the elite class that wielded tremendous power in American life from the 19th through 20th centuries, exploring the lives of prominent WASP icons from Henry Adams to Edie Sedgwick. Envied and lampooned, misunderstood and yet distinctly American, WASPs can be viewed through the lens of socioeconomics, ethnicity, culture or sensibility.
What The Reviewers Say
Many fascinating women flit across the pages of Wasps.
... there is something almost entomological about Beran’s new book. Under his glass, we see his subjects beyond their propensity for silly nicknames and membership in the Skull and Bones club, and we look more closely at what made a WASP a WASP.
This colorful survey...Beran stuffs the account with juicy details, though the constant name-dropping and tossed-off literary allusions can be aggravating. Still, this is a rewarding study of a vital yet slippery aspect of American history and culture..
