In this panorama of the thirties, Frederick Lewis Allen combines an eye for the significant trivia of everyday existence with a facility for neatly dissecting the political monoliths of the era. Whether discussing the varieties of bathtub gin or elucidating Keynesian economics, Allen displays, in the words of Edward Weeks of The Atlantic, “a talent for terse and telling résumé which is the envy of any historian.”
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"I read this in 2010 following the collapse of the financial system that I had worked in for a decade. In it Allen paints a picture that is eerily similar to our own stunted recovery." — Robert (4 out of 5 stars)
"I read this in 2010 following the collapse of the financial system that I had worked in for a decade. In it Allen paints a picture that is eerily similar to our own stunted recovery."
“Mr. Allen’s shining service is to recall the things that have blurred equally with those that have stuck in memory. No one else does this sort of thing so well…Its basic merits are honesty, good nature, detachment without indifference, a keen eye for survival in news values. Somehow it conveys the impression of the American people telling their own story in autobiographical form.”
“Vividly and with great skills he marshals the men, the mountebanks, the measures, and the events of ten years of American life and causes them to march before us in orderly panathenaic procession.”
“Such a meticulous performance [as Lane’s] makes one take note that the human voice adds an element of real life often elusive in such historical overviews.”
“A meticulous performance.”
" Straightforward history of the 1930's from the average man's perspective. "
" A classic (and very readable) overview of American life in the 1930s. "
" Fascinating first-hand contemporary history of the 30s. "
" Currently reading now. Isn't quite grabbing me as much as his other book "Only Yesterday" but it is still pretty good. "
Frederick Lewis Allen (1890–1954) was born in Boston and graduated from Harvard in 1912. He served on the editorial staffs of the Atlantic Monthly and Century magazines and was editor-in-chief of Harper’s magazine from 1941 until his death.
Christopher Lane is an award-winning actor, director, and narrator. He has been awarded the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration several times and has won numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards.
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