The Great Depression
by T. H. Watkins
Very readable. I always considered that word a cop-out word--it doesn't really tell you anything but it sounds important. Let me start over.
It's written in a comfortable style with plenty of detail to make you feel full but not stuffed. The research is there, but not in-your-face. It's a companion to a documentary, and I would have enjoyed watching it more than reading this. As full of pictures as it is--every three or four pages is a group of picture pages--seeing and hearing the history would have been more enjoyable. But I had the book, so there it was.
It's short, though. More personal stories and first-hand observations would have brought it alive. The story of organized labor in the era was a new one for me, and fascinating, but a little too much "big actor" stories and not quite enough "ordinary Joe" in the account.
That's my impression, anyway. All the same, it's a good length for a starter and leaves you full of jumping-off points.
No comments:
Post a Comment