Crash: The Great Depression and the Fall and Rise of America - Hardcover

Favreau, Marc

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0316545864 ISBN 13: 9780316545860

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2018

Synopsis

The incredible true story of how real people weathered one of the most turbulent periods in American history—the Great Depression—and emerged triumphant.

From the sweeping consequences of the stock market crash to the riveting stories of individuals and communities caught up in a real American dystopia, discover how the country we live in today was built in response to a time when people from all walks of life fell victim to poverty, insecurity, and fear.
 
Meet fascinating historical characters like Herbert Hoover, Franklin Delano and Eleanor Roosevelt, Frances Perkins, Dorothea Lange, Walter White, and Mary McLeod Bethune. See what life was like for regular Americans as the country went from the highs of the Roaring Twenties to the lows of the Great Depression, before bouncing back again during World War II. Explore pivotal scenes such as the creation of the New Deal, life in the Dust Bowl, the sit-down strikes in Michigan, the Scottsboro case, and the rise of Father Coughlin.
 
Packed with photographs and firsthand accounts, and written with a keen understanding of the upheaval of the 1930s, Crash shares the incredible story of how America survived—and, ultimately, thrived.

About this title

About the Author

Marc Favreau is the acclaimed author of Crash: The Great Depression and the Fall and Rise of America,Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia, Attacked! Pearl Harbor and the Day War Came to America, and (with Michael Eric Dyson) Unequal: A Story of America. Favreau is also the director of editorial projects at The New Press. He lives with his family in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.

Reviews

Gr 7 Up—In this engaging and comprehensive look at the Great Depression, the text is divided into four sections addressing the crash of the economy, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal policies, setbacks to progress, and the eventual end of the Depression. Moving beyond the typical analysis of the time period, Favreau carefully crafts an enjoyable narrative that vibrantly depicts individual experiences, including little-known stories within the context of national trends. Not only is it enjoyable to read, it is also a powerful research source. Each chapter is rife with primary sources, such as telegrams, photographs, posters, song lyrics, speech transcripts, and more. (Besides the extensive primary source section, there is other comprehensive back matter.) While President Herbert Hoover often bears the blame for the Federal government's initial response to the financial crisis, the author provides a very balanced portrayal of his presidency. This same balance, however, does not extend as much to Roosevelt. There is a section on societal setbacks, but there is no opposing perspective provided in response to Roosevelt's expansion of executive power, his constitutional challenges, or his attempt to pack the courts. Still, this impressive resource would be valuable, when used in tandem with other resources, for students conducting research. VERDICT An insightful addition to libraries and recommended even for those with a robust collection on the topic.—Paige Rowse, Needham High School, MA

Edition details

• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0316545864
• ISBN 13: 9780316545860
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 240