10 Best Books About the Great Depression in 2022

From the struggles of politicians to keep the economy afloat to the personal narratives of the common person, this book lays out the critical years of the Great Depression. With a new introduction, the author compares the Great Depression and the 2008 economic crisis.

This book has been praised for its readable account of the Great Depression. Reviewers have also praised the author's insights on the crisis. Despite it being informative, readers have found that it reads like a textbook. Other reviewers find that it lacked stories that kept them fully engaged.

This is an important entry due to its economic perspective. Through this book, you can learn about the political and economic decisions that eventually snowballed into the Great Depression. It also includes suggestions of how it could have been avoided and how we can apply the lessons learned from that era.

A follow up to the sequel Only Yesterday, this book veers away from WWI and focuses instead on the days leading up to the stock market crash. This examines the ten important years of the Great Depression. It paints a picture of how the times were back then, including the anxiety and the fear of the people.

Readers have praised this book for taking note of the important events that shaped the years to come. They loved the all-encapsulating view as it includes the culture, music, and literature of that time. However, some readers found that the focus was centered too much on the narrative and lacked insight.

Despite this, the book manages to give a clear picture from an economic, political, and cultural perspective. It is a unique read for people who would like to have a better grasp of what life was like during the tragic years.

Being victorious in the first World War had its consequences. This book talks about the rise and fall of America through the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, and WWII, and how she endured despite the tragedies. The author provides some insights into the advantages of undergoing such a crisis.

Readers love that the author makes the information easy to digest. It also gives an optimistic look at such distressing events. However, some readers who may be more knowledgeable about the Great Depression may find this book to be somewhat surface-leveled.

The book addresses the important players, events, and decisions made throughout the critical years. This is for readers who are just beginning to learn about the Great Depression and want an easy read and a general overview.

Economists have discussed the events that triggered the onset of the Great Depression. In this book, the author draws our attention to central bankers and their influence on the economy. The book argues that it was their decisions that set off the chain of events that became the Great Depression.

Reviewers loved that this book tackles the basics of the economy at that time, such as the golden standard and a discussion of international lending. This made learning about economics accessible to readers. However, some readers found the focus too narrow, and supplementary reading was needed to get a fuller picture of the history.

This book emphasizes how a small group of central bankers can create a heavy impact on the global economy. When left in the hands of the few, human infallibility can have fatal consequences.

Through personal accounts, this book recaptures the events of the Great Depression. Look through the eyes of politicians, workers, artists, farmers, and businessmen. The book shows how the years of the Great Depression has shaped an entire generation.

Despite being one of the older books, reviewers agreed that its themes and insights remain relevant in the present day. It has been praised for tackling both the perspectives of the prosperous and the poor. However, some reviewers have found that the book tends to be a bit radical.

The beauty of this book is that it gives a humanistic perspective regarding the years of struggles. By collecting testimonies from people who come from all walks of life, it builds a montage of one of the key points of American history.

This is a classic examination of the 1929 crash. It talks about the consequences of being too secure and optimistic. It also discusses the lax way the financial community treated the signs of an impending crisis in the early years. It points out mistakes that were made and could have been avoided in the past.

Readers praise this book for being witty and entertaining, which is a rare compliment for a book about economics. However, some readers have stated that it felt like more of a narrative and a summary rather than an in-depth analysis of the stock market crash.

This book is for readers who want to read an economic book without information overload. The author's prose and writing style are guaranteed to catch readers' attention and keep them engaged.

A great contributor to the decline of the American economy was the severe dust storms that ravaged the lands. This book tells the story of the survivors of how they lived through the years of drought.

With the ongoing climate change crisis, many readers found this book to be relevant to current times. Reviewers praised this book as an honest account of the struggles experienced in the Great Depression.

Many readers connected with this book and its message. This is a book that gives warning yet praises the persistence of humankind in difficult times.

Amity Shlaes looks into the Hoover and Roosevelt administrations and examines the formation of the New Deal, which would impact the American economy for years to come. This is the history of the Great Depression from a policy-making point of view.

According to reviewers, this book is engaging and sparked many people's interest surrounding the Great Depression. They loved that the author challenges typical ideas about the Great Depression.

However, some readers found the book doesn't go into detail and remains shallow regarding political issues at the time. In a similar fashion, not all agreed with the author's perspective.

Though there will always be varying opinions, this book is brave enough to challenge perspectives. This is a book for readers who are open to reinterpretations and would like to learn a different point of view.

Before the years of the Great Depression, Americans were enjoying a time of prosperity known as the roaring 20s. It wasn't until the stock market crashed that reality set in. This book documents the events of Black Tuesday and America waking up to a nightmare.

Reviewers were impressed with how the author was able to reconstruct the events of Black Tuesday. Readers praised the vivid imagery and detailed descriptions regarding that dark day. However, some readers found that the focus was too much on the detail rather than telling how the day affected the populace.

This book will entertain readers who love history books that read like novels. Written fifty years after Black Tuesday, it contains accounts of the people who actually experienced the crash of the stock market.

The Great Depression was all about the struggles, the hardships, and the trials that were experienced. However, here is a memoir to lift your heart. Set in the midst of the Great Depression, it tells the story of the author's upbringing on a farm in Iowa, surrounded by love and kindness.

Readers loved the tone of the author, which was never too pessimistic or too optimistic despite the subject matter. They found the retelling of the author's childhood to be relatable.

However, some readers found that the book was too instructional regarding the process of farm work. This tended to throw the readers off from the story.

It is important to remember that we can still find precious things in the midst of dark times. That's why this is an important memoir, as it showcases those moments of happiness that can occur during hardships.