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American History Now |
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Feature Article: America in Crisis |
Book Reviews "Books are the
treasured wealth of the world and the fit inheritance of generations and
nations." Below are some
excellent book selections that allow the reader to discover life during The
Great Depression. Book Title Dear Mrs. Roosevelt: Letters from Children of the Great Depression Author Robert Cohen Summary This book is a compilation of letters to First Lady, Eleanor Delano Roosevelt, during her husband’s time as the President of the United States. The First Lady used newspaper columns and radio broadcasts to assist poor children and teens in gaining federal aid. She was a spokesman for the National Youth Administration which was the New Deal’s central agency for aiding the needy young. She also believed that the federal government should provide aid young people without discrimination based on age, race or gender. Between 1933 and 1941, children and teenagers wrote to Eleanor Delano Roosevelt thousands of letters discussing their most pressing problems and requesting assistance. Dear Mrs. Roosevelt compiles over two-hundred letters which address young peoples’ extreme need for assistance during some of the darkest days in American History. Although the Roosevelt administration wanted to assist every American, the New Deal made it difficult to address the very personal needs of the writers. Book Title Essays on the Great Depression Author Ben S. Bernanke Summary Essays on the Great Depression explores the devastation of the Great Depression from an economical standpoint. With the stock market crash, bread lines and bank runs with war on the horizon, the Great Depression provides an ideal example of the direct correlation between economic policies, performance and institutions. During the Great Depression, some economies were able to “get on their feet” faster than others and some economies used the Great Depression to their advantage. Essays on the Great Depression compares and contrasts economic strategies and statistics of the world as they struggle to survive during one of the most unpredictable times in American History. Book Title Building Hoover Dam: An Oral History of the Great Depression Author Andrew J. Dunar and Dennis McBride Summary The Hoover Dam was built between 1931 and 1936 as a tribute to the American people and their perseverance during the Great Depression. Building the Hoover Dam provided thousands of Americans with jobs and is one of the largest man-made dams in the world. To Americans, the dam is a symbol of hope, danger, politics, adventure, struggle, humor, determination and inspiration. In Building Hoover Dam are first-hand accounts of the construction workers’ accounts – men, women and children – of building a structure that has such significance to the American people. The book, written in the workers’ own words, explores the monumental undertaking from establishing “homes” in tents along the Colorado river, establishing schools and churches, hauling thirty foot pipes on roads with sharp turns and attending the 1935 dedication ceremony where Franklin Roosevelt spoke. The authors use the accounts of the people to paint a vivid picture of the drive and determination of thousands to create a better life for their families. Providing background information to clarify and provide context, the authors create a relevant work that assists the reader in understanding the life and times of the Hoover Dam workers. Book Title Nickel’s Worth of Skim Milk: A Boy’s View of the Great Depression Author Robert J. Hastings Summary A Nickel’s Worth of Skim Milk: A Boy’s View of the Great Depression is a true account of a boy, his family and how they faced the Great Depression and lived to tell about it. Set in Illinois, in the 1930s, the author recounts life in depression-ravaged Illinois. The author uses his own life during the Great Depression to bring to life a time in history which drastically affected thousands of Americans. After the book was published, the author received thousands of letters in which others had written to him about their same experiences during the Great Depression. In his book, the author not only tells his story, but speaks for thousands of others who survived the Great Depression. Sources http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780807854136&itm=4 http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780691118208&itm=5 http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780874174892&itm=8 http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780874174892&itm=8 |
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Updated by Jenna Sieverts on: Wednesday, December 05, 2007
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