The 1930s

June 1, 2003
Gr 9 Up-Divided into 12 chapters, this broad-ranging overview highlights the decade's major cultural trends and social customs as well as the contributions of many individuals. There's very little information about New Deal politics, schools, religion, and nativism, all of which are covered more thoroughly in the more useful entry in the "Daily Life in the United States" series (Greenwood). Also, the chapter dealing with literature unexplainably omits Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Richard Wright. The book includes a short time line and an eye-opening four-page summary noting the cost of various products, along with a formula to translate these costs into current economic values. Small black-and-white documentary photos from FDR's Farm Security Administration appear throughout. A 24-page bibliography of primary and secondary sources will provide students with a head start for further research. However, because of its narrative chapter format, some libraries may prefer to circulate this title.-Jack Forman, Mesa College Library, San Diego

Copyright 2003 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2003
Another volume in the American Popular Culture through History series takes a look at food and drink, music, travel, and other topics during the decade 1930-1939. For our review of other titles in this new series, see the October 15, 2002, issue. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)