Amerika 1930-kh glazami dvukh proslavlennykh pisateley-satirikov Roskoshnyy Gollivud "zolotogo veka", bogemnyye San-Frantsisko i Novyy Orlean, kolybel' gangsterskikh klanov - likhoy Chikago, nesravnennyy N'yu-York vo vsem yego bleske i nishchete, ekzoticheskiye indeyskiye rezervatsii, tikhiye provintsial'nyye gorodki… Il'fu i Petrovu kazalos' novym i neznakomym vse, chto stalo seychas dlya nas privychnym, - tomatnyy sok i gamburgery, kholodil'niki i vibromassazhery, avtosalony i reklamnyye aktsii, striptiz v nochnykh klubakh i, razumeyetsya, sensatsionnaya novinka alkoproma 30-kh - pivo v bankakh Vozmozhno, poetomu ikh kniga seychas vyzyvayet u chitatelya ne tol'ko smekh, no i nostal'gicheskuyu ulybku