What Was the Great Depression?

What was...?

by Janet B. Pascal, Dede Putra (Illustrations)

On October 29, 1929, life in the United States took a turn for the worst. The stock market – the system that controls money in America – plunged to a record low. But this event was only the beginning of many bad years to come. By the early 1930s, one out of three people was not working. People lost their jobs, their houses, or both and ended up in shantytowns called “Hoovervilles” named for the president at the time of the crash. By 1933, many banks had gone under. Though the U.S. has seen other times of struggle, the Great Depression remains one of the hardest and most widespread tragedies in American history. Now it is represented clearly and with 80 illustrations in our What Was…? series.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Childrens, Middle Grade, Historical, Family, American History

112 pages, Paperback

First published December 22, 2015

About the author

Janet Pascal, author of many YA biographies and Viking’s senior copy-editor, lives in New York, New York.

Reviews

[Janete on hiatus due health issues · Rating 5 out of 5]

Project Learning English by myself with children's books. I learned a lot from this book! I didn't know that Franklin Delano Roosevelt was such a great President and an excellent economic, social, administrative and employment strategist, despite his faults.

[Hanin Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just picked this book when I was looking for something new and short to read.
It talks about the Great Depression that happened in US. By the beginning of 1930s.
A very interesting book with illustrations and photographs.

[Ahmed Atif Abrar · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Woody Guthrie rode the rails as a teenager. He never forgot the feeling of traveling with so many hungry and desperate people: "We used each other for pillows. I could smell the sour and bitter sweat soaking through my own khaki shirt and britches and the work clothes.... We looked like a gang of lost corpses heading back to the boneyard.""

Great introductory book with some original pictures too.

[Joanne Eglon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great informative read 💕

[Readasaurus Rex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

This just goes to show you how stupid it is to spend money you don't have, to aquire a bunch of debt, and to let the government have more control than the people. Sounds like FDR sucked as a president

[Karly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting! A fact-packed book with illustrations and photographs to support a more informal look at the Great Depression. Definitely going to take a look at other books in this series!

[Jack Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

it is about the story of the Great Depression.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned so much! And it helped me understand how we have gotten where we are today as a Country.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this aloud to my children for our homeschool history studies of the time period. This book series is very informative and I learn so much even as an adult. A great way to dive deep into the people and places in history.

[Alivia Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book to read for history it has a lot of information but, it also tells stuff about war war 1 and 2 .

[Ross Edward · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Great Depression was when the stock market crashed and a famine happen. It was happening in North America and Europe . It affected everyone poor or rich.

[Jacklyn (ReadingBliss) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased two books out of this series to test the quality and accuracy of the selling description listed on Amazon. My children are on the younger side, but I wanted to preread them in preparation for the future. I chose this one as well as “What Was the Plague?”. I found both to be excellent for someone who had very little prior knowledge on both historical accounts. I also found the recommended age of 7+ to be accurate. The text is easy on a parent’s eyes, the language is easy enough for my 7 year old to understand, and there are many pictures to aid in the feel of the events you are reading about. I felt very drawn in by both books and read each in less than an hour in one sitting. If the entire series is written as this was, I am very excited to buy the lot. It was full of information and interesting facts in a thoughtful way that was very “light” in tone as to easily digest what was being taught without taking away from the intended topic. I would highly recommend these two books.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this to my 9 year old son as part of our study of American history. This is a good overview starting with “The Roaring Twenties”, “The Jazz Age” of the 1920’s until the death of President Roosevelt during his fourth term in 1944. My son got a lot of good information and a better understanding of what the Great Depression was but there are so many details that he didn’t understand. So this book is good for younger and great for older elementary/ middle school.

One of the things my son really noticed was that President Roosevelt was elected to his FOURTH term. This book certainly opens up dialogue for a lot of interesting topics including all the agencies Roosevelt set up, the fact that the Supreme Court ruled against some of the programs he was trying to establish and the fact that he was elected four times!

This book would go along great with a fiction book (based on true events) called, “A Letter to Mrs. Roosevelt” by C. Cocoa De Young.

[Johanna Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informational book

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another good installment of the Who Was/What Was/Where Is series. While this is meant for elementary to middle school readers, I still find this book informative as an adult. I did already know quite a bit about the Great Depression from reading several other fiction and nonfiction books. I have always been fascinated by the contrast from the 1920s to BOOM!- the Great Depression. I did learn a few things though such as the buildup in the stock market before it crashed. I always wondered how it could just crash? Well, this book helped to clarify this in black and white terms. I also learned the answer to this question: Who took the picture of the famous mother from the Great Depression? Answer: Dorothea Lange took the picture of the "Migrant Mother."

Finally, I greatly enjoyed learning more about my favorite president, FDR, who was the only president to be elected for four terms. "Some historians think FDR went beyond what the Constitution allows. Even some of his supporters have called him a helpful dictator" (Pascal 101). However, I think FDR proved he made an invaluable difference in our country as shown by this encounter: "During his first one hundred days in office, a visitor said to him, 'Mr. President, if your program succeeds, you'll be the greatest president in American history. If it fails, you will be the worst one.' 'If it fails,' Roosevelt answered, 'I'll be the last one'" (Pascal 103). Roosevelt knew how important his work would be. It sounds like maybe I should try to read Who Was Franklin Roosevelt? next. :)

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

What Was the Great Depression by Janet B. Pascal is a relatively short read intended primarily for a younger audience. But, having said that, the author packs a lot of facts and historical information about the Great Depression and its causes as well as the attempts by government to “fix” it and the aftermath. Having read several other books on the Great Depression and the FDR administration targeted towards an adult audience, this book does a reasonable job of explaining various aspects of these events and is in agreement with the common facts presented in many other books. The conventional wisdom that the Great Depression was caused by the Hoover administration and fixed by the FDR administration and WWII are more recently in dispute. Great read for a younger audience and also a quick read of the main facts for an adult reader.

[Megan Schubert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, and I love this series of books! I'm trying to brush up on my history knowledge since it's been years since I've last learned about some of the events, people, etc., and I plan to homeschool my son when he reaches school age. This book exceeded my expectations and after I finished it, I felt I had learned, and retained, much more than when I learned it in middle school and high school. This book was written for children, so it's very easy to read and comprehend, and I feel it's better than what any textbook would teach up through 12th grade. I'm collecting these books also for my son to use/read when it's time for him to learn about history, etc., as it will provide him with a much better understanding as well.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Introduction to the Great Depression

This book is part of a series (Who is and What is...) aimed at young people in order to place historical events and people in perspective. This book is packed with facts and time lines. The vocabulary is fairly simple, but adults who just want an overview of certain events will also find this a helpful read. Lots of great pictures, as well as illustrations.

[Kristina Seleshanko · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so impressed by this book! I bought it to use during home school, but didn't have very high hopes. However, I discovered that the author (Janet B. Pascal) did a superb job taking a complicated piece of history and synthesizing it in a way anyone can understand. She really covers all the major things everyone should know about the Depression, including its causes and why it ended. I highly recommend this book.

[Victoria B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick read packed with facts about one of the darkest times in the US economy. Briefly covers the Roaring 20's before describing the country's collapse into the Great Depression and how it affected families. Introduces kids to FDR's New Deal & the programs he created to help counteract the Depression.

The Great Depression Timeline at the end mentions an event the book didn't cover (but maybe should've?):
1920 - anarchists bomb Wall Street.

[Sook Kuan Goh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have heard of Great Depression but do not know it's contents. This is a good book for a good summary that makes it easier to understand why is it called Great Depression. I often heard about boogie man and scary stuff during the time of Great Depression. Overall, it is a good simple read! This story also helps me learned about Theodore Roosevelt that I learned the name from the movie Night in the Museum. It focuses on how Roosevelt trying to fix the Great Depression in summary.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done non-fiction entry in this series with a simplified explanation of the economics that led to the Great Depression and the response of governmental leaders to the events of the time. The cost of flowers for Barbara Hutton's debutante ball juxtaposed by Hoover blankets and penny auctions was quite stark. Unfortunately, the buy now, pay later mentality is definitely in full swing again.

[Elina · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was a nice book. It was a sad and a touching story. and it was one of the most miserable and hard time of life. and they have to wait for so many many hours to just get a loaf of bread. but free bread. and on the train sometimes you know how they feel homesick sometimes. so they would just lie down on the on the bunkbed. all i have for now guys bye.

[Beth Cortez · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 8-year old is really into these Who Was/What Was books, so I’m reading them once she finishes so we can discuss them together. The books are presented in a great way for kids, with lots of great facts and definitions, as well as some pictures, so it makes learning about history fun! My grandparents lived through The Great Depression, so this was an even more relevant read for me due to that.

[Breanna Maughan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book it explained how the Great Depression happened, it's affects, and how it ended/got better. It explains what people were involved. It talks about not only the poor, but, also, people who got money from this. The pictures help tell the story in a different way and to help see how hard it was for people.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is well suited for a short synopsis of the Great Depression. There is a lot of good information to learn in such a short book. The photos are a great addition to the overall effect of the book. Well worth the read.

[aarifa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love any Who Was, Where Was, and When Was books! They are great for all ages, with wonderful biographies, detail, and amazing illustrations!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book does a great job expressing the major facts of the Great Depression. I learned a lot!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another short yet interesting book from this series. I highly recommend reading these as well as The Who is/Who was series if you like history.

[Tamar Zakay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read