Bill Bryson makes you feel like you are sitting next to someone telling you some stories about the summer of 1927 instead of listening to some dry, boring historian.  And some fairly momentous events happened that summer.  Most of the events I knew a little about but much less than I thought such as Charles Lindbergh's historic flight from New York to Paris in the Spirit of St Louis.  And about Prohibition in Chicago and Al Capone.  Some events I had never heard about like the massive flooding all over the Midwest.  This overview of 1927 includes plenty of background on the events and the individuals involved, so you don't need to know much beforehand.  If you enjoy baseball, you'll like reading about the amazing season the New York Yankees had and Babe Ruth in particular.  I seriously dislike the Yankees but since this was 87 years ago, even I can feel good about their accomplishments.  One Summer was just as enjoyable as all of the other books by Bill Bryson I've ever read.