The author’s purpose for writing Amusing the Million is primarily to fill the gap in our knowledge about how the development of amusement parks in the early 20th century encapsulated the change in American character and morals during the progressive era. This thesis is very well supported throughout the book, drawing upon numerous aspects of the American character and how Coney Island specifically and amusement parks in general changed them. Previous attempts to create an experience like Coney Island are mentioned as well, such as Central Park and the 1893 Columbian Fair, and the author explains that these instances also represent change within American culture, or at least attempts to change it. The author uses many types of sources and evidence throughout the book and at least tries to include both the critics and advocates for the movements mentioned specifically within.  These dissenting opinions are used to dispel the notion that everyone was in agreement over the events that take place within the book. The author also spends a good deal of time exploring the reactions of difference social, cultural, and economic groups to the concepts and idea that Coney Island represents.            This book is largely aimed at the academic audience, though to some extent the student audience is targeted as well. This contributes to the somewhat advanced vocabulary used liberally throughout the duration of the book. However, these words are used to great effect in communicating the author’s intentions and never once seem pretentious. To a certain extent, words such as those employed within the book are needed to convey the complex and sometimes contradicting themes to the value that they deserve to be expressed.  The author expressed himself quite clearly in this book anyway, regardless of the vocabulary employed. The underlying themes do not play coy with the readers. Everything the author means to convey about specific events or individuals and their impact on the encompassing themes is stated outright in a way that some would call condescending, but is actually a refreshing deviation from the usually obscure ramblings of books in the same genre.    The author’s decision to focus on the historical and societal context of the events surrounding amusement parks is also a nice change of pace. The author should be commended for his ability to switch seamlessly from specific events and individuals to broader and much more abstract concepts and ideals. The author should also be commended for his ability to furnish the bones of historical writings with enough detail to ensure full comprehension and immersion from the readers without losing the ‘big picture’ and the cool detachment imperative to a historical account. The topic chosen by the author is just narrow enough to focus in on and explore thoroughly and just broad enough to relate to the progressive as a whole and the changes evident in American culture and morals throughout the chosen time period.  The author remains focused on this objective and his own thesis throughout the course of the book remarkably well, with very little unnecessary digression or unrelated tangents. As with everything else in this book, causation is stated very clearly. However, causation in this book is often not treated with the same gravity or care that the consequences of specific events are, and is in fact neglected to a certain degree.
This book is organized neatly and in the most logical manner, semi-chronologically. When working with such a small timeframe as the one this author chose to work with, several significant events sometimes happen simultaneously. Taking this into consideration, the book is organized as logically as it can be, with separate sections for the previous attempts at creating a space like Coney Island, the amusement parks as a whole, and the impact of the major three amusement or theme parks within the island. Photographs are not something that every author is able to or chooses to use, and most often distract from the work itself more often than they aide to the argument or topic. This book is not such a case. The author uses photographs to gift readers with a better idea and understanding of concepts or places that seem abstract or distant when expressed through the written work. Rather than subtract from the writing, the photographs and illustrations increases the reader’s enjoyment of the work and the reader’s understanding of the topic.