The Forgotten Man? $1.99 on Amazon

[DooDiligence]

Has anyone read this or any other revisionist histories of the depression?

 

Here's the Booklist review & it's a mixed bag (4 star avg) with Amazon readers:

 

Its duration and depth made the Depression "Great," and Shlaes, a prominent conservative economics journalist, considers why a decade of government intervention ameliorated but never tamed it. With vitality uncommon for an economics history, Shlaes chronicles the projects of Herbert Hoover and Franklin Roosevelt as well as these projects' effect on those who paid for them. Reminding readers that the reputedly do-nothing Hoover pulled hard on the fiscal levers (raising tariffs, increasing government spending), Shlaes nevertheless emphasizes that his enthusiasm for intervention paled against the ebullient FDR's glee in experimentation. She focuses closely on the influence of his fabled Brain Trust, her narrative shifting among Raymond Moley, Rexford Tugwell, and other prominent New Dealers. Businesses that litigated their resistance to New Deal regulations attract Shlaes' attention, as do individuals who coped with the despair of the 1930s through self-help, such as Alcoholics Anonymous cofounder Bill Wilson. The book culminates in the rise of Wendell Willkie, and Shlaes' accent on personalities is an appealing avenue into her skeptical critique of the New Deal. Gilbert Taylor

[petec]

Haven't read this but it's take on Hoover sounds similar to Murray Rothbard's, which I found fascinating to read. 

[DooDiligence]

I'll take your word on it & buy this one because it's $1.99 & I'm thrifty...

[rkbabang]

Thanks for the info.  It sounds interesting I just purchased it.

 

BTW, The ebook version Rothbard's excellent book on the great depression is free here if you are interested: 

 

America's Great Depression, by Murray N. Rothbard (free ebook)

America's Great Depression, by Murray N. Rothbard (Hardcover, not free)

 

Most people think of Rothbard as an Austrian Economist, but he is also an excellent writer and historian who can make even dry subjects interesting.  If you really want a treat read his 1600 page history of the United States stretching from pre-Columbus era to just after Revolution:

 

"Conceived In Liberty" (Free ebook and audio versions)

"Conceived In Liberty" (Hardcover, not free)

 

[DooDiligence]

Nice! Thanks bang...

[dcollon]

I really enjoyed the book below on the Depression

 

https://www.amazon.com/Great-Depression-Diary-Benjamin-Roth/dp/1586489011

[Dustin T]

I read it several years ago and liked it. It provides a deeper understanding of a very impactful time that and shows that things were much more complicated then the standard narrative allows for.

[DooDiligence]

I got this a while back & just started reading it today.

 

Previous posters have recommended other books on the same subject as well.

 

Possibly topical?