Journalist and biographer Diliberto (Paris Without End: The True Story of Hemingway’s First Wife) brings to life the history of four women dynamos in her latest work. Diliberto contends that while American women did not vote in large numbers, or even run for office very frequently after earning the right to vote, the first substantial political role they did take was in passing or fighting against Prohibition laws. Separated into two camps, Wets and Drys, women either championed the freedom of alcohol or crusaded against its social and moral evils. In this action-packed tale, Diliberto successfully illustrates how four women with radically different backgrounds—a leader of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, an actress running a speakeasy, the prosecutor charged with the enforcement of Prohibition, and an aristocrat—led the fight for their respective sides. In a book about an era synonymous with gangsters and flappers, readers will appreciate Diliberto’s deep dive into these women’s lives and her new take on women’s roles during this time period. VERDICT Diliberto’s writing style and the subject matter are likely to appeal to readers across genres.