Crash: The Great Depression and the Fall and Rise of America

Ages 10 And Up, Grades 5 to 17

The incredible true story of how real people weathered one of the most turbulent periods in American history—the Great Depression—and emerged triumphant.

From the sweeping consequences of the stock market crash to the riveting stories of individuals and communities caught up in a real American dystopia, discover how the country we live in today was built in response to a time when people from all walks of life fell victim to poverty, insecurity, and fear.

Meet fascinating historical characters like Herbert Hoover, Franklin Delano and Eleanor Roosevelt, Frances Perkins, Dorothea Lange, Walter White, and Mary McLeod Bethune. See what life was like for regular Americans as the country went from the highs of the Roaring Twenties to the lows of the Great Depression, before bouncing back again during World War II. Explore pivotal scenes such as the creation of the New Deal, life in the Dust Bowl, the sit-down strikes in Michigan, the Scottsboro case, and the rise of Father Coughlin.

Packed with photographs and firsthand accounts, and written with a keen understanding of the upheaval of the 1930s, Crash shares the incredible story of how America survived—and, ultimately, thrived.

About the Author

Marc Favreau is the acclaimed author of Crash: The Great Depression and the Fall and Rise of America,Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia, Attacked! Pearl Harbor and the Day War Came to America, and (with Michael Eric Dyson) Unequal: A Story of America. Favreau is also the director of editorial projects at The New Press. He lives with his family in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.