For the child curious about history's tough times, this book explains the Great Depression, exploring its causes and the incredible resilience of those who lived through it.
A parent might reach for this book when their child asks big questions about poverty, fairness, or how society recovers from difficult times. Michael Burgan's "The Great Depression" provides a clear and factual overview of this pivotal era in American history, explaining complex topics like the stock market crash, the Dust Bowl, and the New Deal in an accessible way for young readers. The book balances the immense sadness and hardship of the period with powerful themes of resilience and community, showing how people supported one another through unimaginable challenges. It is an excellent choice for older elementary and middle school students, using historical photographs and personal accounts to foster empathy and provide crucial context for understanding current events and economic concepts.
Mentions the disproportionate impact of the Depression on minority communities.
Sensitive Topics
The book deals directly with themes of extreme poverty, starvation, homelessness, and societal despair. The approach is historical and factual. It may briefly mention suicides following the stock market crash. The resolution is realistic but hopeful, focusing on the government interventions and the resilience of the American people that eventually led to recovery. The suffering is not minimized, but the ultimate message is one of overcoming adversity.
Ideal Reader
This is for a 10 to 14 year old who is a concrete thinker and curious about history. It is perfect for a child who is beginning to ask questions about economic inequality, social safety nets, or is studying 20th-century American history in school and wants to understand the human experience behind the dates and events.
Parent Prep
Parents should preview chapters discussing the stock market crash and the Dust Bowl. The archival photos of impoverished families can be upsetting. It's helpful to provide context, explaining that government programs like the FDIC now exist to prevent the kind of bank collapses seen in the 1930s. This can reassure a child that history has taught us important lessons. A parent has just heard their child ask, "Could our family lose all our money?" or "Why are some people homeless?" after encountering the topic in school, media, or real life. This book provides a historical framework to discuss these fears.
Age Experience
A younger reader (9-10) will likely focus on the personal stories and powerful photographs, grasping the emotional reality of hunger and homelessness. An older reader (11-14) will be better equipped to understand the complex economic and political forces at play, such as stock market speculation and the role of government, and will be able to draw parallels to modern society.
What Makes It Special
Compared to other books on the topic, this volume stands out for its clarity and structure, which is typical of Capstone's educational nonfiction. It excels at making a vast and complicated subject manageable for a middle-grade audience by using high-quality archival photos, sidebars with personal accounts, and a clear chronological narrative that connects causes with effects.
Read plot summary
This nonfiction chapter book provides a comprehensive overview of the Great Depression in the United States. It begins by setting the stage with the prosperity of the 1920s, then details the 1929 stock market crash and the subsequent economic collapse. Key topics covered include bank failures, mass unemployment, the creation of Hoovervilles, the environmental disaster of the Dust Bowl, and the societal impact on families. The book concludes with the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the implementation of his New Deal programs, tracing the slow road to recovery.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.
Discussion Prompts
1
The book shows photos of 'Hoovervilles,' which were shantytowns named after the president at the time. Why do you think people gave them that name? What does it say about how they felt?
2
President Roosevelt's 'New Deal' created programs like the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to give people jobs. Do you think it's more helpful to give people jobs or to give them direct aid like food or money? Why?
3
Many people who lived through the Depression were very careful with money for the rest of their lives. How do you think an experience like that would change a person's relationship with 'stuff'?
4
Look at the photographs of the Dust Bowl. How did a natural disaster like the drought make the economic disaster of the Depression even worse for farmers?
