Remembering the Great Depression in the Rural South (review)

What was most impressive about this book was the diversity of those interviewed—African Americans and whites, males and females, former tenant farmers and sharecroppers, factory and mill workers, office workers, secretaries, seamstresses, and homemakers. Most of their stories, however, were similar—"everyone had a hard time" (67) during the Great Depression. These interviews reflect the enduring spirit of family, community, and hard work. This was a spirit that replayed itself throughout America in the 1930s, and it reminds me of the stories my grandparents told about their struggles during this time. Although my grandparents were not farmers and did not live in the South, these stories of the rural South mirrored some of the same conditions in urban Ohio. A family of eleven was difficult to feed and clothe. Therefore, everyone had to contribute whatever they were capable of to sustain life. What made this even more difficult was when they could not afford rent or could not find shelter, they lived in two tents. Yet, through all these "hard times," they endured like those who shared their remembrances in Remembering the Great Depression in the Rural South.

Taking into account selective memory and nostalgia from their past, those interviewed tell stories that range from starvation to the redefinition of traditions. In addition, there were a few stories about those who did not feel the effects of the Depression as much as others because they grew their own food and bartered for other essentials. Most powerful and heart wrenching were those stories about children dying from disease and starvation, such as the story about the young boy dying in his classroom because no one knew he was starving to death. Recollections such as those about bread lines, soup kitchens, and the Hoovervilles convey the desperation. Through all this privation, pulling together and helping one another was a common theme. "But I guess the Depression made everybody think, and think deep, about what kind of situation we were in and if everybody didn't pull together, it would have never come back and I guess that people pulling together had a lot to do with it. Everybody pulling together" (134). One of the few that " did not see in the past this sense of community and hope within the hardship and desperation " (141) was a lawyer and his family who were not as badly affected by the Depression. He had a good job and, therefore, the family lived better than most. "We lived in the good part of town and we just didn't have any connections to the people in the soup lines" (142).

While a valuable addition to existing scholarship on the Great Depression and useful to those studying oral history during this era, the book is not just a collection of narratives. Chapter Two, "The People's View of Roosevelt and the Federal Programs," examines the role of New Deal programs and how these programs affected people and communities in the 1930s. In addition to describing some of these programs, this chapter addresses Franklin D. Roosevelt's (FDR) tactics to get his message to the people—the radio and his Fireside Chats. It also highlights how people felt about FDR and his New Deal:

… he served as a knightlike symbol for many looking for hope in desperate times.

(38)

… people began to feel like better times were coming ….

(38)

… the chats were like a special occasion.

(41)

… it was like a friend instead of a President talking to you.

(43)

According to those interviewed, FDR had his critics, but to the "little man" he brought hope and planted an idea that good times were coming. "I think it [the New Deal and FDR] pulled us out of a bad hole" (62). For most, the memory of FDR and his New Deal was one of benefits: "… benefits the programs had brought to the people, the local community, and the country as a whole" (62).

Not just a collection of interviews...