A VESSEL OF WRATH

by Robert Lewis Taylor ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 16, 1966

Carry A. Nation in late-19th century Wichita! Gad! Picture the magnificent sight of her, garbed in black, girdled in righteousness, concealing a hatchet under her motherly shawl, bawling out her favorite Temperance dirge and striding at the head of a shock force of heavily armed matrons who wheeled on her signal, advanced into a tavern in perfect formation and, at her irresistible battle cry of ""Smash!,"" would soon be rampaging up to their shoe buttons in spilled liquor, dodging shards of backbar mirrors and charging whatever hardy clientele lingered to lap up the potable puddles. She was ever a fighting commander, chopping the last barrel, smashing the last glass. After the ritual defacing, de-bosoming and de-bottoming of any drinkingman's undraped art, she would utter her wildly inappropos benediction of ""Peace on Earth! Good Will Toward Men!"" The Kansas Crusader and Home Defender had ticked off yet another rum tub. It's the funniest biography of the year. It could be a tragic story, but Carry A. So obviously enjoyed being a ""vessel of wrath"" and publicly exhibiting all her cracks that the author's wickedly turned phrases are really restrained ridicule. This is serio-comic social history investigating how it happened that Carry chopped her way across the country and the Atlantic while trampling out the grip of the grape. This is the only full length portrait available and a wowser of a browser for all men of distinction.

Pub Date: Nov. 16, 1966

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: New American Library

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1966

Categories: NONFICTION