History Booklists

A portrait of Missouri, 1935-1943 : photographs from the Farm Security Administration
by Paul E. Parker Details

Photographers working for the Farm Security Administration (FSA) traveled in Missouri and produced a collection of more than 1,250 pictures. Drawing on those photographs, this book chronicles the photographers' work, the programs they sought to promote, and slices of life they captured in Missouri during this time.

Daily Life in the United States, 1920-1940 : How Americans Lived Through the "Roaring Twenties" and the Great Depression
by David E. Kyvig Details

In this book, Kyvig describes how the uncommon events of the 1920s and 1930s changed the lives of the common people of America. He covers everything from the development of the small pick-up truck to the spread of country and western music and shifting practices in religion and health care. In sum, Kyvig's book represents a penetrating information-packed portrait of Main Street, USA, during tumultuous times.

Dancing in the Dark : A Cultural History of the Great Depression
by Morris Dickstein Details

"Dancing in the Dark" shows how our worst economic crisis produced some of the greatest writing, photography, and mass entertainment ever seen in this country.

Dear Mrs. Roosevelt : letters from children of the Great Depression
by Robert Cohen Details

Activism made Mrs. Roosevelt a beloved figure among poor teens and children, who between the Depression of 1933 wrote her thousands of letters describing their problems and requesting her help. Here are 200 of these extraordinary documents to open a window into the lives of the Depression's youngest victims.

Freedom from Fear, Part 1 : The American People in the Great Depression
by David M. Kennedy Details

In this first installment of his Pulitzer Prize-winning series, Kennedy tells how America endured, and eventually prevailed, in the face of that unprecedented calamity. Marshalling unforgettable narratives that feature prominent leaders as well as lesser-known citizens, this book tells the story of a resilient nation finding courage in an unrelenting storm.

Little Heathens : Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression
by Mildred Armstrong Kalish Details

Kalish's memoir of her Iowa childhood, set against the backdrop of the Depression, captures a vanished way of traditional living and a specific moment in American history. Simple, detailed and honest, this is a refreshing and informative read for anyone interested in the struggles of average Americans in the thick of the Great Depression.

Long Time Coming : A Photographic Portrait of America, 1935-1943
by Michael Lesy Details

A presentation of 410 images taken between 1935 and 1943 by photographers employed by the Farm Security Administration (FSA). Differing from the FSA's better known images of rural life and poverty, these photos (selected from an archive of 145,000 photos) depict everyday life in large cities and small towns throughout the US and Puerto Rico.

The Great Depression : an eyewitness history
by David F. Burg Details

This volume compiles a history of the Great Depression, including the events that led up to it and the New Deal that followed, with chronologies, personal narratives, documents, and statistical tables and figures.

The hungry years : a narrative history of the Great Depression in America
by T.H. Watkins Details

"The Hungry Years" tells the story of the Great Depression through the eyes of the people who lived it. Less concerned with the power brokers in Washington than with the daily struggles of ordinary people at the grassroots across America, it draws on oral histories, memoirs, local press, and scholarly monographs to capture the voices of men and women in a time of extreme crisis.

The Worst Hard Time : The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl
by Timothy Egan Details

Timothy Egan follows a half-dozen families and their communities through the dust storms that terrorized America's High Plains during the Depression. Egan's portraits of the families who stayed behind are sobering and far less familiar than those of the "exodusters" who staggered out of the High Plains.

We Had Everything But Money : Love and Sharing Saw America's Families Through the Great Depression
by Roy Reiman Details

This book includes personal accounts and anecdotes that offer insight into life during the Great Depression, describing such events as the closing of the banks, looking for a job, braving the "Dust Bowl," and discovering homemade fun.

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