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25 Best Novels Set During the Great Depression

After reading Kristin Hannah’s The Four Winds and Jojo Moyes’s The Giver of Stars , it got me thinking about other novels set during the Great Depression. Despite their often dire and difficult settings, these books are often portraits in survival or courage, though often tinged with man’s failings and disappointments as well.

General Adult Novels Young Adult and Children’s Novels

Adult Novels

Young adult and children’s novels.

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Always a fair assessment of what you review, set to the backdrop of a dynamic site and valuable to would-be-readers. Thank you for your excellent work Jennifer.

Absolutely LOVE “Bud, not Buddy”! It is a wonderful book about a boy who lives in Flint, Michigan during the Great Depression. His mother died while he was a young child so he had to go to a Home. He soon realizes that some of the things his mother left behind, must be clues to who his father is!

9 Novels Set During The Great Depression

Nearly a decade after the housing market crashed and the Great Recession hit, novels set during the Great Depression remain chillingly relatable. With global economies still in recovery, readers — particularly those from the working- and former-middle classes — identify strongly with Depression Era narratives' nebulous villains and unbeatable circumstances.

That doesn't mean novels set during the Great Depression are, well, depressing. The backdrop of widespread poverty, unemployment, and desperation provides an excellent foil to the tenacity of the human spirit.

On the other hand, some stories set in the 1930s show us how a bad situation can affect an individual's personality and well-being, and how compounding circumstances can create an inescapable downward spiral toward doom. Because reading fiction increases a person's capacity for empathy , taking the time to consume so-called "depressing" books can help you to become a better citizen and ally.

The nine books on this list probably aren't the first to leap to mind when you think of novels set during the Great Depression. The Grapes of Wrath is not here. Neither are Tobacco Road or Out of the Dust . Those are wonderful novels, but you and I and all the other book nerds know their stories. I want to showcase a few you might not have read.

Check out my suggestions below, and share your favorite novels set during the Great Depression with me on Twitter .

1. Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan

When tragedy strikes, a formerly wealthy mother and daughter must flee Mexico for a California workers camp in this middle grades novel from Echo author Pam Muñoz Ryan.

Click here to buy.

2. Modern Girls by Jennifer S. Brown

Dottie Krasinsky holds down a bookkeeping job in Midtown Manhattan while living with her immigrant parents in an apartment on the Lower East Side. With war brewing in Europe, Dottie's mother, Rose, longs to return to her former life of activism. When both women face unexpected pregnancies, however, they must make difficult choices about their futures in New York City.

3. The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis

When her father leaves town to find work, clever Deza journeys to find him with her mother and brother. Their travels take them to a small town outside Flint, Michigan, where Deza's brother discovers a talent that may prove lucrative. Meanwhile, mother and daughter hold out hope that they'll be reunited with their husband and father.

4. Brown Girl, Brownstones by Paule Marshall

Paule Marshall's 1959 novel centers on the Boyces: a Bajan family of four who one day aspire to own their own home in the U.S. Tensions rise when the family's patriarch, Deighton, learns of an inheritance back in Barbados, but disagrees with Silla, his wife, on how to put it to use.

5. Over the Plain Houses by Julia Franks

A logger-turned-independent preacher, Brodis Lambey keeps a tight rein on his household. After disagreements over where their son should attend school threaten the peace of the Lambey homestead, Brodis discovers that his wife may be hiding a dark secret: witchcraft.

6. Good Hope Road by Sarita Mandanna

Years after they returned home from their time with the French Foreign Legion, two men find themselves reunited on one's New Hampshire farm. But another war is brewing in Europe, and the former comrades haven't recovered yet from the first.

7. A Tale of Two Citizens by Elyce Wakerman

Yankel "Harry" Himelbaum plans to create a new life for himself in the U.S. before sending for his wife and child, whom he left behind in Poland. To gain entry into the country, however, he must lie about his marital status. That lie pitches him into a decade-long battle with immigration official Will Brown: a letter-of-the-law man who wants to keep foreign influence out of the U.S.

8. Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford

When 12-year-old William Eng goes to see a movie with the rest of the children who live in the orphanage with him, he becomes convinced of two things: 1) his mother is still alive, and 2) she's a movie star named Willow Frost. Joined by a friend, William breaks out of the orphanage and makes his way across Seattle, in search of the mother he lost five years earlier.

9. The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows

After Layla Beck refuses to marry the man of her father's choice, she's cut off from his financial support, and signs up with the Federal Writers Project. Sent to document the history of a mill town, Layla finds herself caught in the middle of two compelling narratives: of Macedonia, West Virginia and the eccentric Romeyn family.

Image: Joel Overbeck /Unsplash

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Books about The Great Depression Fiction: 2024 Updated Guide to Essential Reading

Looking for a captivating read that delves into the struggles and resilience of individuals during the Great Depression? Look no further! We’ve curated a list of the 20 best books about the Great Depression fiction that will transport you back to this tumultuous era. From heart-wrenching tales of survival to gripping historical fiction, these books offer a compelling look at the human experience during one of the most challenging times in American history. Whether you’re a history buff or simply love a good book on the Great Depression fiction, this list has something for everyone.

• 1 20 Best Books About The Great Depression Fiction
• 2 The Grapes of Wrath
• 3 Water for Elephants
• 4 The Book Thief
• 6 To Kill a Mockingbird
• 8 The Color Purple
• 9 The Great Gatsby
• 10 The Catcher in the Rye
• 11 Their Eyes Were Watching God
• 12 A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
• 13 Of Mice and Men
• 14 The Bell Jar
• 15 The Sun Also Rises
• 16 Native Son
• 17 The Sound and the Fury
• 18 The Age of Innocence
• 19 The Jungle
• 20 The Good Earth
• 21 The Old Man and the Sea
• 22 Conclusion

20 Best Books About The Great Depression Fiction

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The Grapes of Wrath

By john steinbeck.

The Grapes of Wrath is a powerful book about the Great Depression fiction written by John Steinbeck . The story follows the Joad family as they are forced to leave their Oklahoma farm and travel to California in search of a better life. The novel vividly portrays the struggles and hardships faced by the family and other migrant workers during the 1930s. Steinbeck’s compelling storytelling and vivid descriptions provide a raw and honest portrayal of the social and economic challenges of the time. The Grapes of Wrath is a poignant and timeless exploration of human resilience, hope, and the pursuit of the American Dream amidst adversity. This great depression fiction book is a classic that continues to resonate with readers today.

Water for Elephants

By sara gruen.

Water for Elephants is a captivating book on the great depression fiction by Sara Gruen. Set in the 1930s, it follows the story of Jacob Jankowski, a young man who, after a family tragedy, finds himself part of a traveling circus. The novel beautifully captures the struggles and hardships of the era, portraying the colorful and often harsh world of circus life during the great depression fiction.

Gruen’s vivid storytelling and richly drawn characters make this book about the great depression fiction a compelling and emotional read. The complex relationships, the vibrant setting, and the touching love story at the heart of the novel all come together to create a deeply engaging and unforgettable tale. Water for Elephants is a must-read for anyone interested in the great depression fiction book or historical fiction in general.

The Book Thief

By markus zusak.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a poignant and captivating book about the great depression fiction, set in Nazi Germany. The story follows a young girl named Liesel, who is sent to live with a foster family and discovers the power of words and storytelling. As she navigates the challenges of the great depression fiction, she finds solace in stealing books and sharing them with others, even as the world around her is filled with fear and uncertainty. The book about the great depression fiction is beautifully written, with richly drawn characters and a powerful exploration of the human spirit. It is a compelling and emotional the great depression fiction book that will stay with readers long after they have finished the last page.

by Cormac McCarthy

The Road by Cormac McCarthy is a post-apocalyptic novel set in a world devastated by an unexplained disaster. The story follows a father and his young son as they journey through the desolate landscape, facing danger and despair at every turn. The book expertly captures the bleakness of the world they live in while exploring themes of survival, hope, and the bond between parent and child. This gripping great depression fiction book is a haunting and powerful exploration of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable hardship. McCarthy’s sparse and evocative prose makes The Road a book on the great depression fiction that will stay with readers long after they’ve turned the final page.

To Kill a Mockingbird

By harper lee.

To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee , is a classic novel set in the 1930s during the time of economic hardship in the United States. This timeless book on the Great Depression fiction follows the story of Scout Finch, a young girl growing up in the racially charged town of Maycomb, Alabama. The novel explores themes of prejudice, morality, and innocence through the eyes of Scout as she navigates the complexities of her small town. The story takes a powerful turn when Scout’s father, Atticus Finch, a lawyer, defends a black man accused of raping a white woman, leading to a dramatic and emotional courtroom trial. With its rich characters and thought-provoking narrative, To Kill a Mockingbird is a compelling book about the Great Depression fiction that continues to captivate readers of all ages.

by Kathryn Stockett

The Help by Kathryn Stockett is a captivating book about the great depression fiction that delves into the lives of African American maids in 1960s Mississippi. Set against the backdrop of racial tensions and social injustice, the novel follows the intertwined stories of three women who come together to challenge the status quo. Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter form an unlikely alliance to write a book that exposes the experiences of the maids in the deeply segregated society. As they navigate the dangers of speaking out, the women find courage, friendship, and a sense of empowerment. Stockett’s poignant storytelling and rich character development make this the great depression fiction book a must-read for those interested in historical fiction and compelling narratives about resilience and the fight for equality.

The Color Purple

By alice walker.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker is a powerful and poignant book about the struggles of African American women in the 1930s. Set during the Great Depression, this novel follows the life of Celie, a young woman who faces abuse and oppression but ultimately finds strength and independence. Through a series of letters, Celie shares her experiences of love, friendship, and self-discovery, making this book a compelling and emotional read. The Color Purple is a remarkable exploration of resilience and the search for identity amidst the hardships of the 1930s, making it a must-read for anyone interested in the historical and social aspects of the time. This book about the great depression fiction is a testament to the human spirit and the power of hope in the face of adversity.

The Great Gatsby

By f. scott fitzgerald.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a classic novel that delves into the extravagant and tumultuous lives of the wealthy elite in the 1920s. Set against the backdrop of the Jazz Age, the story follows the enigmatic Jay Gatsby and his obsession with the beautiful Daisy Buchanan. Through the eyes of the narrator, Nick Carraway, readers are drawn into a world of opulence, excess, and the pursuit of the American Dream. As the characters navigate love, betrayal, and greed, the novel explores themes of social class, morality, and the disillusionment of the American Dream. With its richly detailed prose and complex characters, The Great Gatsby is a compelling book about the great depression fiction that offers a poignant commentary on the illusions and realities of the Roaring Twenties.

The Catcher in the Rye

By j.d. salinger.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is a classic coming-of-age novel that follows the story of Holden Caulfield, a teenager who struggles with the hypocrisy and phoniness of the adult world. Set in the 1950s, the book provides a glimpse into the struggles and disillusionment of the post-World War II era, making it a compelling book about the great depression fiction. Holden’s rebellious nature and disdain for societal norms make him a relatable and compelling protagonist for readers of all ages. As he navigates through the challenges of adolescence, the novel delves into themes of alienation, identity, and the loss of innocence, making it a timeless great depression fiction book that continues to resonate with readers today.

Their Eyes Were Watching God

By zora neale hurston.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston is a captivating book about the great depression fiction that follows the life of Janie Crawford as she navigates love, independence, and self-discovery in the rural South. Set against the backdrop of racial and gender oppression, the novel explores Janie’s journey to find her own voice and identity. With lush prose and vivid imagery, Hurston paints a powerful portrait of resilience and determination in the face of adversity. Their Eyes Were Watching God is a timeless classic that delves deep into the human experience, making it a must-read for anyone interested in the great depression fiction book and the complexities of the human spirit.

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A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

By betty smith.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith is a timeless book on the Great Depression fiction that follows the coming-of-age story of Francie Nolan, a young girl growing up in the tenements of Brooklyn. Set against the backdrop of the Great Depression fiction, the novel explores the struggles and triumphs of the Nolan family as they face poverty, alcoholism, and the pursuit of the American dream. Through lyrical prose and vivid descriptions, Smith captures the essence of a bygone era, painting a rich and poignant portrait of life in the early 20th century. A poignant and heartrending book about the Great Depression fiction, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring power of hope.

Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men is a classic novel written by John Steinbeck, set during the Great Depression. The story follows two displaced ranch workers, George and Lennie, as they navigate through the harsh realities of life during this tumultuous time. The book delves into themes of friendship, loneliness, and the pursuit of the American Dream, all set against the backdrop of a society struggling to overcome the challenges of the era. Steinbeck’s vivid descriptions and poignant storytelling bring to life the struggles and aspirations of the characters, making it a must-read for anyone interested in the hardships faced by individuals during the great depression fiction.

The Bell Jar

By sylvia plath.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath is a classic book about the great depression fiction that follows the story of Esther Greenwood, a talented young woman who descends into mental illness and struggles with her identity in the 1950s. Plath’s semi-autobiographical novel delves into the challenges of societal expectations, the pressures of womanhood, and the search for self-fulfillment. As Esther grapples with the stifling constraints of her environment, the book on the great depression fiction provides a raw and haunting portrayal of mental health and the human condition. Plath’s poignant writing style and introspective narrative make The Bell Jar a powerful and enduring exploration of the complexities of life during a time of great social and personal upheaval.

The Sun Also Rises

By ernest hemingway.

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway is a classic novel that delves into the lives of a group of expatriates in post-World War I Europe. Set against the backdrop of the 1920s, the story follows the disillusioned protagonist, Jake Barnes, as he navigates love, friendship, and the search for meaning in a world that seems to have lost its direction. The novel paints a vivid picture of the ‘Lost Generation’ and their struggles with identity, purpose, and the scars of war. With its evocative prose and unflinching portrayal of human frailty, The Sun Also Rises is a timeless exploration of the human condition. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the post-war era, and it continues to resonate with readers today as a poignant reflection on the complexities of life.

by Richard Wright

Native Son by Richard Wright is a powerful book about the great depression fiction that delves into the life of Bigger Thomas, a young African American man living in poverty in 1930s Chicago. The novel explores the systemic racism and oppression faced by Bigger as he navigates his difficult circumstances. The great depression fiction book vividly portrays the struggles of the era, as well as the complexities of race, class, and society. Wright’s writing is both gripping and thought-provoking, offering a raw and unflinching look at the harsh realities of the time. With its compelling narrative and intense character development, Native Son is a must-read for those interested in the great depression fiction and its impact on individuals.

The Sound and the Fury

By william faulkner.

The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner is a classic book about the Great Depression fiction that delves into the lives of the Compson family in the American South. The novel is known for its innovative narrative structure and powerful exploration of time, memory, and loss. Through the perspectives of the Compson brothers, the reader witnesses the decline of their once-prominent family as they grapple with personal and societal upheaval. Faulkner’s lyrical prose and intricate storytelling make this Great Depression fiction book a timeless masterpiece that continues to captivate readers with its rich characterizations and poignant portrayal of a bygone era.

The Age of Innocence

By edith wharton.

The Age of Innocence is a captivating novel by Edith Wharton that transports readers to the high society of 1870s New York. This Pulitzer Prize-winning book delves into the intricacies of societal expectations, duty, and desire, as protagonist Newland Archer finds himself torn between his passion for unconventional Ellen Olenska and his obligations to marry the seemingly perfect May Welland. Wharton’s exquisite prose and keen insights into human nature make this a timeless classic that continues to resonate with readers today. This book on the Great Depression fiction offers a poignant exploration of love, sacrifice, and the constraints of society, making it a must-read for anyone seeking a thought-provoking and immersive literary experience.

by Upton Sinclair

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair is a classic novel that delves into the harsh realities of the early 20th century American society. Set in the meatpacking industry of Chicago, the book offers a gritty portrayal of immigrant life, labor exploitation, and the brutal working conditions of the time. Originally published in 1906, The Jungle sheds light on the corrupt practices of capitalism and the struggles of the working class, making it a powerful piece of social commentary. This book on the great depression fiction is both eye-opening and heart-wrenching, as it exposes the exploitation and poverty that many immigrants faced during this era. Sinclair’s vivid and descriptive writing style brings this important historical period to life, making The Jungle a compelling and thought-provoking read.

The Good Earth

By pearl s. buck.

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck is a captivating book on the great depression fiction that follows the life of a Chinese farmer, Wang Lung, as he struggles to provide for his family during times of hardship and poverty. Set against the backdrop of rural China, the novel paints a vivid picture of the challenges faced by the working class during a period of immense social and economic upheaval. As the protagonist grapples with the complexities of family, ambition, and societal expectations, readers are drawn into a poignant exploration of resilience and the human spirit. Buck’s exquisite storytelling and richly detailed narrative make this book about the great depression fiction a timeless classic that continues to resonate with readers today. With its powerful themes and unforgettable characters, The Good Earth is a must-read for anyone seeking a compelling the great depression fiction book.

The Old Man and the Sea

The Old Man and the Sea is a classic book on the great depression fiction written by Ernest Hemingway. Set in the 1940s, the novel tells the story of an aging Cuban fisherman named Santiago who struggles to catch a giant marlin in the Gulf Stream. As Santiago battles the elements and his own physical limitations, the novel explores themes of resilience, determination, and the struggle against nature and fate. Hemingway’s sparse and powerful prose captures the harsh beauty of the sea and the inner strength of the human spirit, making this the great depression fiction book a timeless and captivating read for all audiences.

In conclusion, the Great Depression was a tumultuous period in American history, and these 20 best books about The Great Depression Fiction offer a captivating glimpse into the struggles and resilience of individuals during that time. Through compelling storytelling and vivid characters, these books provide valuable insights into the human experience amidst economic hardship. Whether you’re a history enthusiast or simply enjoy immersive fiction, these books are sure to leave a lasting impression.

Which The Great Depression Fiction book is best?

The best book on The Great Depression Fiction can vary with personal preference, but three widely recommended titles are:

• The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck ,
• Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen ,
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak .

Each offers valuable insights and could be a great starting point.

What are the best books to learn about The Great Depression Fiction?

For those looking to learn about The Great Depression Fiction, there is a wealth of literature that can provide a comprehensive understanding of the subject. Some of the most highly recommended books include:

• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak ,
• The Road by Cormac McCarthy ,
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee ,
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett ,
• The Color Purple by Alice Walker ,
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald ,
• The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger ,
• Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

These books offer a range of perspectives on The Great Depression Fiction, covering various aspects and approaches to the subject.

What are the best books on The Great Depression Fiction?

The best books on The Great Depression Fiction include:

• A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith ,
• Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck ,
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett .

Each offers unique insights into the subject. While these books on the topic of The Great Depression Fiction are highly regarded, it’s important to note that any list of ‘best’ books is subjective and reflects a range of opinions.

What are the best The Great Depression Fiction books of all time?

Choosing the best The Great Depression Fiction books of all time can vary depending on who you ask, but seven titles that are often celebrated include

• Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston ,
• and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith .

Each of these books has made a significant impact in the field of The Great Depression Fiction and continues to be influential today.

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Good Books Great Life

Historical Fiction About the Great Depression

Fascinating and engaging historical fiction about the great depression.

It was a devastating time in American history, but there are a lot of beautiful and heartbreaking stories to tell. This selection of historical fiction books is all set in during the Great Depression and tells the stories of the people affected by and living through this time period.

If you’re looking for some great historical fiction about the Great Depression , you’ll find many great options to add to your TBR list here.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Table of Contents

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah The epic story of a family that leaves behind devastation in Texas in the hopes of finding a better life in California.

Under the Tulip Tree by Michelle Shocklee After losing her newspaper job after the stock market crash of 1929, a young woman takes a new job interviewing former slaves for the Federal Writers’ Project.

Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris A story inspired by an actual newspaper photograph of two children for sale during the Depression.

The Giver of Stars by JoJo Moyes Trying to escape a stifling life in England, Alice marries American Bennett Van Cleve. Unfortunately life in Kentucky is just as hard until Alice answers the call to deliver books as part of Eleanor Roosevelt’s new traveling library.

This Tender Land by Willian Kent Krueger This is the story of four orphans who escape the Lincoln Indian Training School in Minnesota and travel down the Mississippi River.

Palisades Park by Alan Brennert This book tells the story of a family who runs an amusement park, Palisades Park, and what happens when the world of the 1930s interferes.

Wingwalkers by Taylor Brown A World War II pilot and his wingwalking wife travel the country during the Great Depression.

Last Dance on the Starlight Pier by Sarah Bird A story of a woman swept into the world of dance marathons in Galveston, Texas during the 1930s.

The Saints of Swallow Hill by Donna Everhart In order to escape and hide, a woman tries to find anonymity in a turpentine camp.

More Historical Fiction Books aBout the Great Depression

In All Good Faith by Liza Nash Taylor A Depression-era story of two women, one trying to keep her family farm afloat and the other living in a west-end Boston tenement.

The Masterpiece by Fiona Davis A novel that takes you to the world of the glamorous Grand Central School of Art and how the Great Depression blindsided a student named Clara and led to tragedy.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen Escaping a personal tragedy, a veterinary student joins a circus during the Depression to take care of the animals and there he finds interesting characters, secrets, and tragedy.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson The story of Cussy Mary Carter was inspired by the blue-skinned people of Kentucky and the Kentucky Pack Horse Library System.

The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows Cut off by her Senator father, Layla must join the Federal Writers’ Project and travels to Macedonia, West Virginia where she finds a small town full of secrets.

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate A story based on a notorious true story of a Memphis-based adoption agency who would kidnap and sell poor children to wealthy families all over the country.

Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford The story of a young Chinese-American boy and his friend who are convinced a famous movie star is his long-lost mother.

The Sisters of Summit Avenue by Lynn Cullen A Depression-era story of two sisters and their bitter rivalry.

The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls by Anton DiSclafani A book that is both a love story and a family drama set in an equestrienne boarding school during the 1930s.

Do you know of any other historical fiction about the Great Depression that I should add to this list?

You May Also Like These Book Lists

World War II Historical Fiction That You’ll Love

Captivating Historical Fiction About Artists

Historical Fiction About American History

Books Set in the 1930s by Book Girls’ Guide

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The common theme among these books is the Great Depression, a period of economic hardship in the United States during the 1930s. Many of the books focus on personal struggles and triumphs during this time, including family farms, migrant workers, and orphaned children. Others explore larger historical events such as the New Deal policies, Dust Bowl, and founding of the FBI. There are also several heartwarming stories of love and friendship set against this backdrop. Overall, these books offer a diverse range of perspectives on one of the most challenging times in American history.

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The Great Depression: America 1929-1941 Paperback – Illustrated, December 6, 1993

Purchase options and add-ons.

• Print length 448 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Times Books
• Publication date December 6, 1993
• Dimensions 6.1 x 1.1 x 9.3 inches
• ISBN-10 0812923278
• ISBN-13 978-0812923278
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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Times Books; Illustrated edition (December 6, 1993)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 448 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0812923278
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0812923278
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.45 pounds
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34 Brilliant Books About the 1930s

Discover the best books about the 1930s, a decade of great upheaval spanning from the Great Depression and the start of World War II.

When you think about the 1930s, you think of a world on the brink. Between the Great Depression and the start of the Second World War, the 1930s saw life move away from the joys of the Roaring Twenties into the chaos of the 1940s.

For the 2023 Reading Challenge , one of my prompts is to read books set in the 1930s. In many ways, life almost 100 years ago was completely different than our lives today, but in some ways, things remain just the same.

Today, I’ve put together a list of books about the 1930s. You’ll find something for everyone: fun 1930s historical fiction, nonfiction books about the 1930s, and even a few classic 1930s books worth a read.

Don’t Miss a Thing

Best Books About the 1930s

To Kill a Mockingbird

There’s a good reason that practically every school makes you read this book. Voted the Great American Read and considered one of the best coming-of-age novels, To Kill A Mockingbird is a timeless classic that everyone should read. The story of young Scout and Jem watching their father, Atticus Finch, defend an innocent black man will make you want to stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves.

Publication Date: 11 July 1960 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Before We Were Yours

Lisa wingate.

In this intensely emotional coming-of-age book, Lisa Wingate bases her story on a notorious real-life scandal of an adoption agency that kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families. In 1939, twelve-year-old Rill Floss is asked to watch her four younger siblings while her father takes her mother to the hospital. Suddenly, a group of strangers arrives and takes Rill and her siblings to a Memphis-based orphanage where Rill must fight to keep her siblings together under the eye of the cruel director.

Publication Date: 6 June 2017 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Rules of Civility

Amor towles.

On New Year’s Eve 1937, Katey Kontent and her roommate Eve Ross meet a handsome young banker named Tinker Grey. Over the next year, Katey’s friendship with Tinker will introduce her to the upper echelons of Manhattan society, altering the course of her life. Of the books about 1930s, Rules of Civility stands out for its gorgeous prose and enveloping setting.

Publication Date: 26 July 2011 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

This Tender Land

William kent krueger.

In 1932, young orphan Odie O’Banion lives as one of the only white boys at the Lincoln School, a home for Native American children. A mean-spirited superintendent, who cares little for the children and especially loathes Odie, rules the school. One summer night, Odie flees the school in a canoe, along with his older brother, their best friend Mose, and a newly orphaned little girl. This sets up a river journey reminiscent of Huckleberry Finn.

Publication Date: 3 September 2019 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Naomi Krupitsky

In Red Hook, Brooklyn during the 1930s, Sofia and Antonia are best friends and neighbors, members of “The Family,” the local Italian mafia. When Antonia’s father is disappeared, a wedge develops between the girls that will affect them as they grow older and begin to question the demands of their “family.”

Publication Date: 2 November 2021 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

The Lake House

Kate morton.

During a big summer party in 1933, a baby boy from a wealthy family disappears from the country estate. Now, seventy years later, a police detective starts to uncover the truth of what happened at the lake house. A gorgeous mystery written with Morton’s characteristic flare, The Lake Hous e is one of my favorite books set in the 1930s.

Publication Date: 2015 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Florence Adler Swims Forever

Rachel beanland.

While training to swim across the English Channel in 1934, Florence Adler drowns off the coast of Atlantic City. After the tragedy, her mother makes a fateful decision – to keep Florence’s death a secret from her other daughter Fannie, on bed rest for an extremely high-risk pregnancy. Rachel Beanland knocks it out of the park with this debut novel based on a true story from her family’s history. 

Publication Date: 7 July 2020 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Save for Later

Great Depression Books

The Four Winds

Kristin hannah.

In the Texas panhandle in 1934, severe drought plagues the land. With crops failing, dust storms whip up, leaving the farmers fighting for survival. In the perilous times of the Great Depression, Elsa Martinelli must decide whether to stay and fight for her land or head west to California which offers her family a better life. With her characteristically gorgeous storytelling, you’ll find yourself caught up in the disastrous calamity of the Dust Bowl and emotionally caught up in Elsa’s impossible decision.

Publication Date: 2 February 2021 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

The Giver of Stars

Set during the Great Depression, Englishwoman Alice Wright marries a handsome American and finds herself transplanted to rural Kentucky. To escape her unhappy home life with her withdrawn husband and overbearing father-in-law, Alice agrees to become a traveling librarian, riding around the countryside bringing books to local residents. In her new job, she meets other fierce women and gains lasting friendships. Add in plenty of drama, love stories, corrupt businessmen, and even murder, and you have the perfect light historical fiction to read.

Publication Date: 3 October 2019 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

Kim michele richardson.

During the Great Depression, the Pack Horse Library Project in rural Kentucky brought books to rural Kentuckians through horseback-writing librarians. Nineteen-year-old Cussy Carter, the last remaining member of the rare blue-skinned Appalachian people, must overcome the suspicions of the locals and win their friendship to fulfill her mission of delivering books.

Publication Date: 7 May 2019 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Orphan Train

Christina baker kline.

On the verge of aging out of the child welfare system, Molly’s life is changed when she is assigned to do community service cleaning out the house of an elderly woman. Sorting through Vivian’s attic, Molly learns of Vivian’s childhood as a young Irish immigrant sent to the Midwest on an orphan train and realizes that they have the power to help each other understand their pasts.

Publication Date: 2 April 2013 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Moon Over Manifest

Clare vanderpool.

If you are looking for children’s books about the 1930s, you should pick up a copy of this Newbery Medal winner. When her father sends her away for the summer while working a railroad job, Abilene Tucker runs away to Manifest, Kansas – her father’s hometown. When Abilene discovers a box of mementos, she sets out on a quest to discover the town’s secrets.

Publication Date: 12 October 2010 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

One summer day in 1934, 13-year-old Briony Tallis misunderstands a flirtation between her older sister and a neighborhood boy, with devastating consequences. Now, as World War II rages, an older Briony starts to realize the reality of what happened and the full repercussions she has caused. Can Briony find atonement or is it too late? No matter what you do, make sure to read until the very end, because the ending is what makes this one of those books that move you to rethink everything you just read.

Publication Date: 2001 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

The Book Thief

Markus zusak.

A book narrated by Death might be off-putting at first, but quickly you’ll fall in love with this Young Adult WWII historical fiction. In 1939, Liesel Meminger is sent to live with foster parents in Munich. There she befriends the charming neighborhood boy Rudy and settles into a life of book thievery. Coming of age during the rise of the Nazis, Liesel and Rudy must face the complications of growing up in a dictatorship they hate.

Publication Date: 1 September 2005 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

The Library of Legends

Janie chang.

When Japanese bombs start falling in Nanking in 1937, Hu Lian and her university classmates must walk 1,000 miles to safety in China’s interior. The group is given a secret task, to guard The Library of Legends, an ancient collection of myths. Along the way, Lian realizes that one of the tales from the Library of Legends seems to be awakening the spirits of the story.

Publication Date: 12 May 2020 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Code Name Hélène

Ariel lawhon.

Nancy Wake, a New Zealander living in Paris, becomes a spy for the British and rises to one of the top leaders of the French Resistance and one of the most decorated women of the war. This true story is split into two narratives – the first starting with Nancy parachuting into France in 1944 and the second telling of her courtship with her husband, Henri Fiocca, before the war. You’ll fall in love with Henri and cheer on Nancy as she transforms into a fierce fighter and respected commander. As the earlier timeline catches up with the later one, you’ll feel all the emotions of a woman caught up in a terrible war.

Publication Date: 31 March 2020 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

The Island of Sea Women

On the island of Jeju just off the Korean peninsula lives a society where women are the breadwinners. They are sea divers risking untold hazards to provide for their families from the ocean. Among them are best friends Mi-ja and Young-sook, two girls just entering their village’s diving collective. Telling the account of their lives from the Japanese occupation in the 1930s, through World War II and the tumultuous aftermath up to the present, Lisa See’s historical fiction novel is a beautifully written account of friendship.

Publication Date: 5 March 2019 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Robert Harris

With the hope for peace still dangling before them, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain travels to Munich to meet one last time with Adolf Hitler in 1938. Behind the scenes, Chamberlain’s private secretary Guy Legat and his old school friend Rikard von Holz, an anti-Hitler member of the German foreign office, are set on a collision course.

Publication Date: 21 September 2017 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Historical Fiction Set in the 1930s

Water for Elephants

A list of historical fiction books about the 1930s wouldn’t be complete without Gruen’s bestseller. Poor orphan Jacob Janowski never expected to find a home with the Benzini Brothers’ circus show. A veterinary student, Jacob is put in charge of the circus’s animals where he falls in love with an untrainable elephant and a gorgeous married equestrian star.

Publication Date: 22 May 2006 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Go Tell It on the Mountain

James baldwin.

A semi-autobiographical novel, Go Tell It On the Mountain describes one day in the life of John Grimes, the fourteen-year-old stepson of a Pentecostal preacher in 1930s Harlem. As the backstories of John’s mother, biological father, and violent stepfather are revealed, John grapples with his desires versus his family’s expectations and Baldwin highlights the positive and negative influences of the church in their lives.

Publication Date: 18 May 1953 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

The Green Mile

Stephen king.

At the Cold Mountain Penitentiary, the death row inmates nervously await the walk down the Green Mile to Old Sparky, the electric chair. Paul Edgecombe has seen it all in his years as a prison guard, but nothing prepares him for John Coffey. With the body of a giant and the mind of a child, Coffey’s imprisoned for a heinous crime. The more Paul learns about Coffey, the more Coffey’s unexplained abilities will challenge everything he thought he knew.

Publication Date: 29 August 1996 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Woman of Light

Kali fajardo-anstine.

After her older brother is run out of town, Luz Lopez is left to fend for herself in 1930s Denver. When she begins to have visions that transport her to her Indigenous homeland, she learns of the struggles of three generations of her family and finds she is the only one who can tell their story.

Publication Date: 7 June 2022 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

The Perishing

Natashia deón.

In 1930s Los Angeles, Lou wakes up in an alley with no memory of her past. Taken in by a caring foster family, the young Black woman dedicates herself to her education, until she meets the handsome firefighter whose face has been in her mind for years. Suspecting that she is actually an immortal, Lou must uncover the secrets of her past to save the present.

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe

Fannie flagg.

In the throes of a middle-aged crisis, Evelyn unexpectedly finds comfort from the elderly Mrs. Threadgoode. Mrs. Threadgoode tells her a fascinating tale of two women, Idgie and Ruth, who ran the Whistle Stop Cafe in Alabama in the 1930s – an era of hard luck, racism, small-town problems, lots of laughter, and the occasional murder.

Publication Date: 12 August 1987 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Foul Lady Fortune

In a spinoff of her bestseller These Violent Delights , Chloe Gong returns to 1930s Shanghai with a tale of dueling spies. After an experiment makes her ageless and immortal, Rosalind Chang becomes a spy for her country hoping to redeem her traitorous past. When the Japanese are suspected of a series of murders, Rosalind must go undercover posing as the wife of another spy to investigate a series of murders.

Publication Date: 27 September 2022 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Nonfiction Books About the 1930s

The Boys in the Boat

Daniel james brown.

In a sport dominated by elite East Coast schools, a group of young men, sons of dockworkers, loggers, and farmers, at the University of Washington rowed to the Olympic Gold Medal in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Led by an enigmatic coach and aided by a visionary boat builder, the nine working-class boys came together with determination and commitment to become world champions. One of my favorite book recommendations, Boys in the Boats is one of the books about the 1930s you must not miss.

Publication Date: 4 June 2013 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Laura Hillenbrand

In 1938, the single biggest newsmaker was not Hitler or Mussolini, but the crooked-legged racehorse Seabiscuit. Laura Hillenbrand details how such an unlikely hero became an American icon. When Charles Howard wanted to own racehorses, he allied himself with Tom Smith, a mysterious mustang breaker from Colorado, and Red Pollard, a half-blind former boxer turned jockey, in a partnership that would transform bad luck and injury into an inspirational success story.

Publication Date: 30 June 1999 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

American Demon

Daniel stashower.

If you like chilling true crime books about the 1930s, Daniel Stashower’s latest book is just what you need. In 1934, a day at the beach turned gruesome when beachgoers discovered the lower half of a woman’s body. The first of a dozen victims, for four years Cleveland was gripped in terror by a serial killer who butchered and dismembered his victims. Stashower’s account details the horror of the city and the determination of Eliot Ness to capture the killer.

Publication Date: 6 September 2022 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Classics 1930s Books

The Grapes of Wrath

John steinbeck.

Steinbeck’s epic on the Great Depression is a must-read classic book. After being released from prison, Tom Joad finds his family crippled by the Dust Bowl and ready to give the promise of California a try. Instead, the Joad family finds the harsh realities for migrants and begins to fall apart as they each handle the injustices of life in different ways.

Publication Date: 1939 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

As I Lay Dying

William faulkner.

When Addie Bundren dies, her family attempts to carry out her last request, to be buried in her hometown, despite their poverty. Narrated by fifteen different characters, As I Lay Dying follows the family’s trek and looks at each individual’s motivations, making it an experimental and critically-acclaimed novel.

Publication Date: 1930 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Their Eyes Were Watching God

Zora neale hurston.

Although mostly overlooked during her life, Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God has had a well-deserved resurgence in popularity in the last few decades. Hurston’s classic recounts the life of Janie Crawford through her three marriages and journey of self-discovery. Throughout the novel, Hurston makes you consider marriage, gender roles, and what makes a liberated woman.

Publication Date: 18 September 1937 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

And Then There Were None

Agatha christie.

If you want a quick classic mystery, Agatha Christie is the way to go. You’ll have fun trying to figure out whodunit on an isolated island mansion where the suspects start dying off one by one. I’ll be impressed if you figure it out. I never do. A classic for a reason, this novel is surprisingly short, leaving you plenty to read even more books set in the 1930s.

Publication Date: 6 November 1939 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Daphne du Maurier

Working as a lady’s maid in Monte Carlo, the narrator is swept off her feet by the handsome widower Maxim de Winter. After a rushed courtship and impulsive marriage, she returns as his wife to his beautiful estate, Manderley. Yet, she quickly learns she is not the true mistress of the estate, as the household will not let her forget the memory of Rebecca, de Winter’s first wife who drowned the year before.

Publication Date: 1938 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Richard Wright

In 1930s Chicago, when a Black teen accidentally kills a white woman, his life spirals as he attempts to hide his crime and escape from the police. With timeless writing, Wright points out the hypocrisy of white philanthropists and the lack of opportunity and racial dynamics that are systemically oppressing the Black community.

Publication Date: 1 March 1940 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Which Books About the 1930s Are You Most Interested in Reading?

What do you think? Do you enjoy reading books about the Great Depression or the early days of WWII? What 1930s books would you recommend? As always, let me know in the comments!

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Reader Interactions

January 17, 2023 at 10:14 am

Love this! This tender land is my favorite book of all time, but I see a lot of other favorites here too. Keep these lists going!

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Economics Books » Economic History

The best books on the lessons of the great depression, recommended by robert barro.

Nothing is Sacred: Economic Ideas for the New Millennium by Robert Barro

Harvard macroeconomist Robert Barro takes issue with some common assumptions about the Great Depression, and how America got out of it.

Interview by Sophie Roell , Editor

A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960 by Anna Schwartz & Milton Friedman

Macroeconomic Effects from Government Purchases and Taxes by Robert Barro

Identifying Government Spending Shocks by Valerie Ramey

Essays on the Great Depression by Ben Bernanke

The Great Depression in the United States from a Neoclassical Perspective by Harold Cole and Lee Ohanian

1 A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960 by Anna Schwartz & Milton Friedman

2 macroeconomic effects from government purchases and taxes by robert barro, 3 identifying government spending shocks by valerie ramey, 4 essays on the great depression by ben bernanke, 5 the great depression in the united states from a neoclassical perspective by harold cole and lee ohanian.

S o if I want to understand what happened during the Great Depression, do I have to start by reading John Maynard Keynes’s General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money ?

This is the argument that the Federal Reserve caused the Great Depression, prompting Ben Bernanke’s famous apology to the authors . So why does this book need to be read, in your view?

So we shouldn’t take books with titles like FDR’s Folly,  claiming Roosevelt prolonged rather than alleviated the Great Depression, too seriously?

It’s clear that a lot of the policies that were put into place were negative, but as to sorting out how important they were, that’s a much more challenging question. And I think Roosevelt at the time recognized ex-post that some of the things he tried were failures and then his attitude was, “OK, it’s a failure. I’ll stop doing it.” Which is actually pretty positive.

“People often think the US economy stagnated in the Depression all the way through the 1930s; in fact the growth rate of the US economy from 1933 until 1937 is extremely rapid”

So you’re not saying the New Deal was a mistake, you’re saying basically we don’t know.

One of the things I’ve been trying to do in my research is to calculate the effect, particularly on Gross Domestic Product, of government expenditure programs. And I’ve been focusing on the US experience, because that’s where I have the information, although it would be good to go beyond that. But the thing you can clearly isolate is the effect of wartime expenditure – particularly World War Two – it is so big that in a statistical sense it gives you a lot of power to figure out what is going on.

There’s both the build-up, starting in 1941, and then there’s expenditures coming down after the war, in 1945-6. There’s a lot of evidence there. Sometimes the spending in a year is 20 per cent of GDP, which is absolutely astounding. In comparison, the New Deal programs, particularly in 1934 and 1936, are only two to three per cent of GDP of extra spending.

In terms of the stuff that’s not wartime spending – which we’re probably most interested in in the current climate –it’s just hard to know from the history of the data and the time series. The New Deal is part of my research, and it’s bigger than the other non-defence expenditure in terms of stimulus, but it’s not enough to really sort it out.

So I don’t think you can reliably say what the effect is. But conceptually you’d expect the wartime spending to have a bigger effect for various reasons on the GDP than the equivalent amount of expenditure in a non-war situation. And the wartime effect you can estimate pretty precisely, and the multiplier is clearly less than one, even in World War Two – it’s in the order of 0.6, 0.7, something like that.

So your point is that even in the context of massive expenditures in a wartime situation, the multiplier effect of government spending on the economy is less than one – ie, it is not a multiplier at all. In other words, fiscal stimulus does not work. I read your  WSJ editorial  on this. Is that a good way for the layman to understand your arguments? Also  this , on the “Voodoo Multipliers” and your  September 2009 NBER working paper ?

Yes, those articles refer to this kind of evidence, and I’ve been working more on it, trying to make it more precise. Some economists have argued that in a time of slack the multiple should be bigger, because there’s more capacity to respond to the extra demand. There’s a little bit of evidence that that’s right. A lot of that comes from the build-up in World War Two, because in 1941 the unemployment rate is still around nine per cent, so you can see what is the effect in that environment, in a high unemployment situation, of having a big expenditure increase. (Later in the war, the unemployment rate is close to nothing, so you don’t have that setting.) There’s a little bit of evidence from that that the multiplier is bigger when there’s more slack. But it doesn’t look like the multiplier gets up to one, even when the unemployment rate is nine per cent. It’s getting closer to that, but even then it is not one.

And yet neo-Keynesians – which include White House economics adviser Christina Romer – often cite the number as being 1.5, and you say in your article that the Obama administration is using 1.5 as a basis for its fiscal stimulus policies. How do they come up with that then?

I think Valerie Ramey’s work is the best in terms of empirically trying to figure what the effect is of expenditure on the macro-variables. She has focused mostly on the post-World War Two period, but she’s looked somewhat at the earlier part.

So you would put her work among your must-reads?

So what else should I be reading on the Great Depression?

There’s Ben Bernanke’s research in the 1980s – that’s probably his most important contribution in terms of macroeconomics and financial economics.

Yes, I saw the Dow Jones Newswires quote on Bernanke’s book, Essays on the Great Depression , which made me laugh: “With some observers saying that the ongoing financial crisis could be the worst since the Great Depression, the greatest living expert on that period is getting the chance to apply its economic lessons.”

Well, Bernanke was thinking that way in April 2008. I remember talking to him at the time, just after the Bear Stearns initial intervention. I got a chance to ask him a question about why they were so aggressive at that time when things didn’t look so bad. And his response was that basically he was worrying about a Depression-type scenario – and trying to act early to nip that in the bud.

So what is the thrust of his book and why is it important?

It’s focusing on the Great Depression as a credit implosion, not so much the money supply, which Friedman and Schwartz had emphasized, but a somewhat related phenomenon, which is credit availability. That had been imploding from 1929 through to the trough, early in 1933. So it’s really focusing on the credit aspects and trying to measure that, particularly by looking at patterns in interest rates.

Today, for example, if you look at the spread between lower quality bonds – like B-rated corporate bonds, say – and compare those to treasury yields, that’s a good indicator of the extent of stress in the credit markets. And actually the recent period is going back to the kinds of spreads that you saw in the early 1930s. Well, perhaps not quite as much, but certainly reminiscent of that. So he’s focused on that as a measure of the extent of the credit stress, and on the other side he focused on how what turned things around was when the credit problems were being eased.

People often think that the US economy stagnated in the Depression all the way through the 1930s, and didn’t at all get out of that until World War Two – and that really is not accurate, it’s not what the data look like. In fact the growth rate of the US economy from 1933 until 1937 is extremely rapid. It’s actually the fastest growth period of any peacetime period of that length in the whole history. Maybe it’s not as fast as you would have hoped for or wanted, given how big the contraction was, but it’s very rapid – and then it’s unfortunately interrupted by a pretty big recession, 1937-8, which was probably caused by the Federal Reserve doubling the reserve requirement in 1937. It’s pretty unbelievable that they did that actually.

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So going back to your other bibliographical picks, you recommend some recent papers by Cole and Ohanian  ( Harold Cole and Lee Ohanian, The Great Depression in the United States from a Neoclassical Perspective and Harold Cole and Lee Ohanian, New Deal Policies and the Persistence of the Great Depression: A General Equilibrium Analysis )  What are they about?

They focused more on some of these anti-market FDR policies. I think they’re right that these are mistakes, as are some of the tax increases. There was a tax increase under Hoover and then some under Roosevelt, trying to balance the budget, which was clearly a mistake in the context of the very high unemployment rate and the poor economy. But as to how much that mattered is much less clear. Similarly the Smoot-Hawley Tariff in 1930, which every economist agrees is ridiculous – it’s not clear how much that actually mattered in terms of the macro results.

I thought that the Great Depression was the ultimate cautionary tale on the dangers of protectionism. That’s not the case?

No I think what is much clearer is the role of the financial system and the credit implosion, both in the 1930s and today. The rest of the stuff may just be a sideshow, it may not be that important. There’s a strong tendency for the economy to recover on its own, as long as it’s not subject to further new shocks, so a likely scenario is that that is what will happen today as well. And then the Obama administration will say that it’s because of our policy that things recovered, and there won’t be any way to prove whether that’s right or wrong.

So are you not a fan of what Obama is doing?

I think the stimulus package was very stupid; it was awful. It’s just a tremendous waste of money and it’s going to cause some trouble in terms of a bigger public debt; it’s just wasting resources. But the more important thing is the financial system, and the housing related aspects. So on that, despite a lot of floundering around, mostly I think what they were doing is in the right direction. I think they made a big mistake by not bailing out Lehman Brothers – I think they recognized that two days later. That was Paulson’s individual fault and responsibility from what I can gather.

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But I noticed you did not sign that full page advertisement in The New York Times opposing Obama’s stimulus package. A lot of other economists did, including Edward Prescott, who won the Nobel Prize for economics, so presumably should be taken seriously. Has he done any work on this?

I don’t know what he’s contributed that is particularly relevant on this issue. He has done some brilliant work and deserved the Nobel Prize, but his empirical stuff is not that good frankly. I didn’t sign that advertisement because I don’t really like to sign things in general – I prefer to write my individual thing.

But you’re broadly sympathetic to that viewpoint?

For a while there was this ridiculous view that there was this massive consensus in favour of Keynesian stimulus. And Biden even said at some point that, “Every economist agrees that we need this stimulus.” Of course that was always nonsense. So in that sense I agreed with the sentiment of what was in that signed advertisement.

August 21, 2016

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Claire Messud mixes truth and invention to tell her French Algerian family’s story

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Book Review

The Strange Eventful History: A Novel

By Claire Messud W.W. Norton & Company: 448 pages, $29.99 If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org , whose fees support independent bookstores.

Claire Messud’s latest novel, “This Strange Eventful History,” has a compelling history of its own. It is based on the dramas and wanderings of her own French Algerian and Canadian family. And it draws on a handwritten memoir, more than 1,000 pages long, by her paternal grandfather — just how liberally or precisely, though, we cannot be sure.

Messud notes, in a disclaimer, that “all characters, events, and incidents have been fictionalized.” The resulting amalgam — of truth and invention, of the epic and the intimate — is lyrically written and almost immediately absorbing. As we come to know its characters, it packs a surprising emotional punch, all the more so because of its ambiguous relationship to reality.

Messud’s multigenerational tale of the Cassars, a family displaced from French colonial Algeria, is told from divergent perspectives, mostly in the third person. The sole first-person narration is by one granddaughter, Chloe, Messud’s presumptive stand-in.

“I’m a writer; I tell stories,” Chloe says in the prologue. “Of course, really, I want to save lives,” she adds, though she has been schooled to believe, in W.H. Auden’s oft-quoted formulation, “that poetry makes nothing happen.” Her first challenge, she suggests, is where to begin — especially since every beginning is also a middle, every perspective always a partial one, and “the past swirls alongside and inside the present.”

The Cassars are prey to the tumultuous history of the 20th century, with its clashing nationalisms, wars of colonialism and aggression and increasingly global world order. These forces spur the family’s dizzying sequence of migrations, separations and resettlements, propelling its members, in various combinations, from Algeria and Lebanon to France, Greece, the United States, Switzerland, Canada, Argentina and Australia.

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By heritage, the Cassars are French Algerian settlers, or pieds-noirs — not fully accepted either by native Algerians or the French. One of the novel’s themes is a perennial longing for home and a sense of belonging. The Cassars’ frequent alienation from their surroundings, their self-definition as outsiders, intensifies their family ties, even if those ties sometimes chafe or fail to bind. “You mustn’t care too much about a place, the way you mustn’t care too much for people beyond your family,” François, Chloe’s father, tells himself.

The family’s nomadic history, as sketched here, stretches from 1940 to 2010, with an epilogue flashing back to 1927. Famous names — Gloria Steinem, Jorge Luis Borges and the philosophers Jacques Derrida and Raymond Aron — pop up in cameo roles. Against the backdrop of world-historical upheavals, Messud recounts a bittersweet story of passionate love, frustrated ambitions, emotional dysfunction and, ultimately, survival.

As World War II begins, Gaston Cassar, Chloe’s grandfather, is a naval officer marooned in Salonica, Greece, without his family. His wife, Lucienne, 13 years his senior, has returned to Algeria with their two children. The couple’s seemingly mythic love, which survives this separation and more, is akin to the fabled green light in “The Great Gatsby,” at once enticing and misleading.

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Gaston and Lucienne’s son, François, is forever hoping for his father’s approval. A gifted student, he wins a Fulbright fellowship and enrolls at Amherst College to make a new American start. The next step is graduate studies at Harvard, “the very signifier of triumph.” During a summer at Oxford, he meets Barbara Fisk, the Toronto native who will become his wife.

Despite her mother’s misgivings, the match starts promisingly. But the couple’s passion fades, and separations estrange them. François, at Barbara’s urging, betrays his academic gifts to pursue a more lucrative business career (just as his father abandoned his literary ambitions). In losing himself, he sacrifices his wife’s adoration and respect, and turns to the bottle. Barbara, a would-be lawyer, also struggles, finding herself “like Gulliver … immobilized by so many little threads, the lines of love and obligation that had always made up an adult life.”

Meanwhile, François’ younger sister, Denise, never really leaves home. Denying her lesbian desires and battling depression, she spends much of her life romantically fixated on her married boss, mistaking his kindness for something more.

It is Chloe, daughter to François and Barbara, who must make sense of this tangled inheritance, “this strange eventful history.” That she becomes a writer, accomplishing what her father and grandfather could not, seems destined, a fulfillment of sorts.

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Messud, a lecturer in fiction at Harvard and the author of such novels as “The Woman Upstairs” and “The Emperor’s Children,” is a skilled prose stylist. One of her signature moves is a reliance on long, flowing, perfectly composed sentences filled with parallel constructions, perhaps an analogue to the flow of history. She writes, for example, of Gaston’s “beloved Algeria, forever lost but seared in him, not just the sprawling white city that he so cherished, arrayed on the hillside around the azure bay, but the hinterland, the mild arable fields, the rolling slopes, the rocky gorges, Constantine like a fairy-tale city perched on its spiny ridge, buffeted by winds, the glory of the wide desert … .”

With its shifting voices, chronology and locales, this is a demanding novel, especially for those unfamiliar with Algerian history. Sometimes, as characters revisit facts and feelings, repetition sets in. Allusions to Gaston and Lucienne’s irrevocable love, however purposeful, grow wearisome — until its significance alters in the book’s final, powerful twist.

These are quibbles. Messud writes beautifully about the toll of dementia and decrepitude, and how life’s challenges can suddenly widen or bridge emotional rifts. It’s impossible not to feel for François, in particular, as he tries to forge an existence both meaningful and loving. It is so easy, it seems, for even the well-intentioned to go badly wrong.

As she navigates her own complex, beclouded legacy, Messud’s generosity of spirit prevails. “Sometimes we feel alone,” her alter ego, 7-year-old Chloe, tells herself, wise beyond her years, “but we are always more closely connected than we think.”

Julia M. Klein is a cultural reporter and critic in Philadelphia.

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Roger Corman, 98, Dies; Prolific Master of Low-Budget Cinema

He had hundreds of horror, science fiction and crime films to his credit. He also helped start the careers of Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and many others.

By Aljean Harmetz

Roger Corman, who for decades dominated the world of B movies as the producer or director of countless proudly low-budget horror, science fiction and crime films, died on Thursday at his home in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 98.

His death was confirmed in a statement by his family posted late Saturday on his official Instagram page.

Mr. Corman produced more than 300 films and directed roughly 50 of them, including cult classics like “A Bucket of Blood” (1959), “The Masque of the Red Death” (1964), “The Wild Angels” (1966) and the original “The Little Shop of Horrors” (1960), which he shot for $35,000 in two days on a set left over from somebody else’s movie.

When he got tired of directing, he opened the door to Hollywood for talented young protégés like Francis Ford Coppola (“Dementia 13”), Martin Scorsese (“Boxcar Bertha”), Jonathan Demme (“Caged Heat”), Peter Bogdanovich (“Targets”) and Ron Howard (“Grand Theft Auto”).

Mr. Corman “was able to nurture other talent in a way that was never envious or difficult but always generous,” Mr. Scorsese said of him. “He once said: ‘Martin, what you have to get is a very good first reel, because people want to know what’s going on. Then you need a very good last reel, because people want to hear how it all turns out. Everything else doesn’t really matter.’ Probably the best sense I have ever heard about the movies.”

Among the others Mr. Corman nurtured was Jack Nicholson, who was 21 when Mr. Corman gave him his first movie role, the lead in “The Cry Baby Killer” (1958), and 23 when he had a small part as a masochistic dental patient in “The Little Shop of Horrors.” Before he went on to stardom, Mr. Nicholson acted in eight Corman movies and wrote three of them, including “The Trip,” an uncautionary tale about LSD.

Bruce Dern and Peter Fonda were also part of the Corman repertory company, working together in “The Trip” and “The Wild Angels.” An unknown Robert De Niro played Shelley Winters’s heroin-addicted son in “Bloody Mama” (1970). The first script by Robert Towne, who later went on to write the Oscar-winning screenplay for “Chinatown,” was Mr. Corman’s nuclear-catastrophe love triangle, “The Last Woman on Earth” (1960). In order to earn his fee, Mr. Towne was also required to play the movie’s second lead, a handsome young man who is killed by the Last Woman’s jealous husband.

In addition to being remembered for the opportunities he gave young filmmakers, Mr. Corman was renowned for his ability to make movies with almost no money and even less time. In 1967, for example, Boris Karloff owed Mr. Corman two days’ work. According to Mr. Bogdanovich, “Roger said: ‘I want you to take 20 minutes of Karloff footage from “The Terror,” then I want you to shoot 20 more minutes with Boris, and then I want you to shoot another 40 minutes with some other actors over 10 days. I can take the 20 and the 20 and the 40, and I’ve got a whole new 80-minute Karloff film.’”

The result was the critically praised “Targets,” in which Mr. Karloff played an aging horror film star who confronts a deranged Vietnam veteran on a murderous rampage at a drive-in theater where one of his movies is playing.

From 1954 to 1970, Mr. Corman produced or directed dozens of movies for American International Pictures, most of them on a handshake deal with the fabled B-movie impresario Samuel Z. Arkoff. Budgets started at $29,000. “The Wild Angels,” considered a big movie, cost $360,000.

Bringing Bergman to the Drive-In

In 1970 Mr. Corman formed his own production and distribution company, New World Pictures. What he did next surprised Hollywood: He became the American distributor of Ingmar Bergman’s “Cries and Whispers.” The film earned Bergman nominations for Academy Awards in 1974 as writer and director; its cinematographer, Sven Nykvist, won an Oscar.

In his autobiography, “How I Made a Hundred Movies in Hollywood and Never Lost a Dime” (1990, with Jim Jerome), Mr. Corman explained that he did not want his new company “to be identified, even stigmatized, by exploitation filmmaking.” So he booked Bergman into drive-ins, and New World went on to distribute films by Akira Kurosawa, François Truffaut and Federico Fellini.

“Cries and Whispers” made a profit of more than $1 million in American theaters. Nonetheless, the name Roger Corman forever remained, in the words of the film critic David Thomson, “a synonym for blithe exploitation.”

Roger William Corman was born on April 5, 1926, in Detroit. The son of an engineer, he assumed that he would be an engineer, too.

Even during the Depression, his parents, William and Anne (High) Corman, and their two sons — Roger was 18 months older than his brother, Gene — lived comfortably. But his father had to take a major cut in pay, and to Roger it was obvious that the wolf was lurking around the next corner.

“I have always assumed that somehow shaped my attitude toward money,” Mr. Corman reflected in his autobiography.

Driven west by the harsh Michigan winters, the family moved to Southern California. After excelling at Beverly Hills High School, Roger spent a year as an engineering student at Stanford University in the middle of World War II, then spent his sophomore and junior years at the University of Colorado as a cadet in a Navy program.

He returned to Stanford when the war ended, graduating in 1947 with a degree in industrial engineering. But after working for just four days as an electrical engineer, he quit engineering forever.

He was hired as a messenger at 20th Century Fox for $32.50 a week and eventually rose to story reader. But, he wrote in his memoir, “I knew I was going to be a writer, producer or director of motion pictures, and I needed more background in the arts of the 20th century.” He enrolled at the University of Oxford on the G.I. Bill to study the work of T.S. Eliot and D.H. Lawrence.

After six months at Oxford and six months in Paris, he came home and sold a chase-across-the-desert script to Allied Artists for $3,500. He was so unhappy with the finished film, “Highway Dragnet,” directed by Nathan Juran, that he decided to become his own producer.

An Inauspicious Start

With the $3,500, a borrowed one-man submarine and $6,500 raised from a dozen friends, he was almost ready to film “Monster From the Ocean Floor,” a movie about a man-eating mutant spawned by atomic testing. But he needed another $2,000 and a director. He got both by offering the directing job to a young actor, Wyott Ordung, if Mr. Ordung, who also appeared in the film, would put up the last $2,000.

On his first few movies, Mr. Corman produced, thought up the story, drove the equipment truck and filled in as a stunt driver. Knowing nothing about directing but needing another outlet for his energy, he became his own director in 1955 with “Five Guns West.” For the next 15 years, he directed almost all the films he produced.

He earned his first taste of respectability and the favor of European critics with a series of horror films based on Edgar Allan Poe stories, most of them starring Vincent Price. The series began with “House of Usher” in 1960, with a script by the science-fiction writer Richard Matheson, and culminated in 1964 with “The Masque of the Red Death,” photographed by Nicolas Roeg, and “The Tomb of Ligeia.”

Mr. Corman liked to call himself an outlaw filmmaker, and many of his movies celebrated outlaws: Peter Fonda as the head of a nihilistic motorcycle gang in “The Wild Angels,” with real Hells Angels riding their choppers alongside the actors; and Shelley Winters as the incestuous head of a murderous family in “Bloody Mama.”

In preparation for “The Trip” (1967), he spent seven hours hugging the ground beneath a redwood tree in Big Sur while tripping on LSD for, he said, the first and only time.

“The Wild Angels,” “Bloody Mama” and “The Trip” were all denounced by critics, and they all made money. One of Mr. Corman’s few commercial failures was his most deeply felt film, “The Intruder” (1962), the story of a rabble-rousing white supremacist. Mr. Corman gave the role of the Northern bigot who spreads hatred in a Southern town to a young stage actor, William Shatner. When no studio agreed to be his partner, Mr. Corman, a self-proclaimed lifelong liberal, provided most of the $80,000 budget and distributed “The Intruder” himself.

New World, New Honors

By 1970, Mr. Corman was burned out by directing and by his peripatetic bachelor life. That summer he completed the last movie he would direct for 20 years, “Von Richthofen and Brown,” about the World War I German flying ace known as the Red Baron and the Allied pilot who shot him down. (His next directorial effort, the 1990 science fiction-horror hybrid “Frankenstein Unbound,” was also his last.)

On Dec. 26, 1970, at the age of 44, Mr. Corman married Julie Halloran, a former Los Angeles Times researcher whom he had been dating off and on for six years. With his wife and his brother as co-producers, he formed New World Pictures.

At New World, he was responsible for “The Student Nurses,” “Private Duty Nurses” and “I Never Promised You a Rose Garden,” an intelligent and disturbing adaptation of Hannah Green’s semi-autobiographical novel about a teenage girl with schizophrenia, which received an Academy Award nomination for its screenplay, by Gavin Lambert and Lewis John Carlino.

He sold New World in 1983, keeping the valuable film library, and promptly created a new production and distribution company, Concorde-New Horizons. In 1997 he sold Concorde-New Horizons and its library for $100 million.

He is survived by his wife, Julie, and his daughters. Catherine and Mary, according to the statement from his family.

Mr. Corman remained active into the 21st century. He produced for Netflix “Splatter” (2009), a three-part online horror series with a difference: Audience votes determined which characters would be killed. He produced intentionally cheesy monster movies like “Sharktopus” (2010), “Piranhaconda” (2012) and “CobraGator” (2016) for the Syfy channel.

He received an honorary Oscar in 2009, and in 2011 he was the subject of a well-received documentary feature, “Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel,” directed by Alex Stapleton.

Interviewed by The Hollywood Reporter in 2013, Mr. Corman was philosophical about his life’s work. “Motion pictures have always been part art and part business,” he said. “If I have a burning vision, it’s to keep on working.”

Peter Keepnews and Yan Zhuang contributed reporting.