Book Launch: The Prohibited

University of Minnesota Press celebrates the launch of The Prohibited, a novel by Minnesota author Matt Goldman, with a series of events throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Set in Prohibition-era St. Paul, The Prohibited follows the Kaner family after it loses its West Seventh liquor store to the 18th Amendment. Inspired loosely by Goldman’s own family history, the novel explores how Prohibition and women’s suffrage reshaped family life, immigrant communities, and the city itself.

Rather than focusing primarily on bootleggers, the novel tells the story of a family trying to navigate a rapidly changing world. Abe Kaner turns to the clothing business while his wife, Emma, grapples with the consequences of a movement she helped advance. Their children pursue ambitions and relationships that challenge the expectations of the era, while the family’s struggles intersect with the lives of other St. Paul residents.

Goldman brings a character-driven approach to the historical novel, drawing on his experience as the author of ten previous novels and a television writer whose credits include Seinfeld, Ellen and Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency. His own family history — his great-grandfather and great-uncles lost their St. Paul liquor store during Prohibition — provided inspiration for the book.