Book excerpt: Often, the decade of the 1920s has been stereotyped with such labels as "The Roaring Twenties," "The Jazz Age," or "The Lost Generation." Historical perspective has forced reevaluation of this decade. Articles in this collection are presented in the most definitive anthology dealing with 1920s America. The contributors have put aside stereotypes to offer a valuable critique of the American dream during a time of major crises. Dancing Fools and Weary Blues also presents its readers a picture of the continual redemption and revitalization of that dream, and reasserts its basic democratic values.