I found this to be a very interesting book, but it was a little disjointed for me. I understand the author was trying to bring in a number of historical figures and center them around the 1933 World's Fair, but some of the connections were just too tenuous. I also found his frequent imbedded commentary distracting. He would have been better served to put his personal thoughts in the footnotes if he wanted to include them. Much of the information was new to me, so that made the book worthwhile.

I have just finished my read of an ARC of "Broken Icarus: The 1933 Chicago World's Fair, The Golden Age of Aviation, and the Rise of Fascism," written by David Hanna and being published under the Prometheus imprint. This text, which is a true gem of its type, falls within the genre of intellectual history. The author skillfully uses a dialectical approach to his materials; that is to say he is interested in exploring the complex relationships between
events in aviation in the twenties and thirties and the political turbulence surrounding the rise of fascism. Here, developments in aviation become a complex metaphor for technological advancement. The author uses leading figures in Italian aviation and in German Zeppelin technology to contrast past developments rooted in the First World War with a promising future sometimes linked to the political turbulence surrounding aviation pioneers, specifically in Italy. The Chicago World's Fair of 1933 serves as a sort of pivotal moment where the world is torn between the many forces looking back at the old world order and the technology which had supported it and the changing world following the rise of Hitler in Germany and FDR in the United States as a consequence of the economic collapse known as the Great Depression. The author is successful in showing Modernism rooted in the events of the first decades of the twentieth century evolving and changing as it confronts a future far removed from the settled one that had preceded World War I. I was delighted and entertained as the author teased out his thesis by examining everything from modern art and art forms to racism and the struggle between lighter than air flight and modern aircraft for the hearts and minds of the population. Hanna's analysis is balanced and often startling as he explores the complex web of interactions, both causes and effects, which shaped the world as it prepared for the Second World War. This book is fascinating and very illuminating. I recommend it to anyone who seriously wants to understand twentieth century history. I would give it 6 stars if that were possible!

Broken Icarus by David Hanna I highly recommend this book for the detail and story telling of the early 1930’s and America’s place in the world prior to WW II. Mr. Hanna tells the story of the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair through the stories of the development of aviation. The Fair captured the public’s interest as much as the romantic figures associated with it: Italy’s internationally renowned chief of aeronautics, Italo Balbo; German Zeppelin designer and captain, Doctor Hugo Eckener; and the husband-and-wife aeronaut team of Swiss-born Jean Piccard and Chicago-born Jeannette Ridlon Piccard. Aviation was new and the world including America were captivated by how far, high and fast one would be able to travel in the future. However, the book also points out the dark side as well. The arrival of Italo Balbo and his 24 planes that flew from Europe to Chicago increased the number of planes that had made this trip from East to West across the Atlantic from five to twenty-nine. But they were feted not just by the Chicago officials but also the Italian American public in the mid-west who came in droves and gave them the fascist salute. The same occurred with the German Zeppelin designer with the Nazi salute. This was news to me about how strong the fascist nationalism was in America at this time. And the book is much more. Mr. Hanna fills out the story with so much interesting detail about the Fair, the 1st MLB All-Star game, the breaking of prohibition rules by the fair and even Sally Rands Fan Dance. After all it may have been the Depression but there was still some fun going on. Lastly, the photos in the book were excellent in giving a feel for the time, the Fair and the people. This is an excellent book to read.

The book starts out with background information on aeronauts: Italy’s Italo Balbo; German Zeppelin designer Hugo Eckener; and the husband-and-wife team of Jean and Jeannette Piccard. We don't actually get to the Chicago World's Fair until reading about 40% of the book. Balbo, apparently, was a central figure in Mussolini's Italy, and Eckener was marginalized by the Nazis because he wouldn't toe the line. Dismayed that the Nazi regime had his Graf Zeppelin emblazoned with swastikas, Eckener flew into Chicago "so that anyone looking up at the Graf that morning...would not see its port side sporting the giant swastikas." Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.