A “wonderfully written account of America in the ’30s,” the follow-up to Only Yesterday examines Black Tuesday through the end of the Depression (The New York Times).Wall Street Journal Bestseller Opening on September 3, 1929, in the days before the stock market crash, this information-packed volume takes us through one of America’s darkest times all the way to the light at the end of the tunnel. … times all the way to the light at the end of the tunnel.
Following Black Tuesday, America plunged into the Great Depression. Panic and fear gripped the nation. Banks were closing everywhere. In some cities, 84 percent of the population was unemployed and starving. When Franklin D. Roosevelt took office in 1933, public confidence in the nation slowly began to grow, and by 1936, the industrial average, which had plummeted in 1929 from 125 to fifty-eight, had risen again to almost one hundred. But America still had a long road ahead. Popular historian Frederick Lewis Allen brings to life these ten critical years. With wit and empathy, he draws a devastating economic picture of small businesses swallowed up by large corporations—a ruthless bottom line not so different from what we see today. Allen also chronicles the decade’s lighter side: the fashions, morals, sports, and candid cameras that were revolutionizing Americans’ lives.
From the Lindbergh kidnapping to the New Deal, from the devastating dust storms that raged through our farmlands to the rise of Benny Goodman, the public adoration of Shirley Temple, and our mass escape to the movies, this book is a hopeful and powerful reminder of why history matters.
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Great panoramic history of the Depression era and the pre-war era that shaped the lives of our parents and grandparents.
I have read many books SET in this decade: the stock market crash, the collapse of the monetary system, the Dust Bowl, the politics of the late 30’s, etc. But I never read anything that gave me a birds’ eye view of high AND low, Rich to poor, synonymous of how American culture and thought changed so radically during this period. The fact of it having been written only one year after the decade’s close gives it an immediacy not found in later – written volumes.
Should be read by any student of American History who wants to understand how the first purely capitalist nation on earth started on its way to a center – left culture that defines us today.
A great book to learn more about life in the 1930’s. An interesting comparison of time to the pandemic period we are currently living through. Although it was written in the 40’s the writing seems current. Great book for American history buffs!
Helped me appreciate what my parents lived through as young adults.
Hard to read., It was not interesting to me.
Excellent review of the 1930s by an amazing historian.
Definitely gives you a good feel for the time period covered.
Not as good as “only yesterday”, but still interesting
Excellent book about US history in the 1930s. The narrative moves along and does not get mired in too much and redundant details
This book is superb. Meticulously researched and well organized, this book is superb mix of non-fiction content and dynamic writing style. I always enjoy and use in my classrooms Lewis’s narratives to interest students in events from history.
An interesting first hand account of the 1930s written in 1939. Those who like to look at things that are almost primary sources will find it interesting, and it does reflect its times.
This is the second of a series that the author, a journalist, wrote at the end of the decade in question (the first was the ’20s) to give a vivid sense of what life for the average American was like at the time in all the usual elements that so often are omitted in history books that concentrate on politics or intrnational relations. Here we learn was Amvericans wore and ate and read, how they worked, how they entertained themselves (or were entertained by externao means such as radio, movies, theater and so on. It’s fascinating to imagine oneself back into a time before we were born, a tlime that was when (in my case) my parents were growing up and becoming the adults I knew. I’ve read it twice over the years and bought the Kindle version to keep it availaable for a future re-reading.
An accurate portrayal of the 1930’s, as I lived through them.
About the country when I was a child and what was going on in my parents lives then
Like Titanic a book whereby so many things had to be done in just the right order to end up with a real disaster. And the passengers had no idea for the most part.
Mr. Alan wrote this book in 1939 so the prose – along with his amazing intellect- is distinctly different from many other historical treatise. I was absolutely dumbfounded by my ignorance in regard to how many factors were taking place at the same time during the decade described. Mr. Allen’s knowledge of world-economics was far above my ability to “see” as clearly as he saw.
I have raved about this book. It is not an “easy read” but it is one of the best books I’ve ever read on a most horrific time period. I cannot imagine how horrible it must have been to be the President of the United States during this time period.
I will read more of Mr. Allen’s books. They are more educational than spending several years in a college taking history and economic courses. This man was a genius.
Amazed me how much I didn’t learn in high school & college regarding the Great Depression in America. Good source of insight into a time my parents & grandparents lived through.
brilliant
I was hoping it would delve into the lives of people affected by the depression but it really centered mostly on politics of the time. Informative but not entertaining.
Brought back memories of my childhood.
This book gave me new insight into the history of the Great Depression that my parents lived through. I found the reading a little tedious but also entertaining at times. It follows a rather time linear description and was a little more political than I was looking for. There is some description of how the everyday person dealt with the times but I kept looking for more of that. Worth the read.