Daily Life in the United States, 1920-1940 : How Americans Lived During the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression

Rating:
Summary: Informative and easy reading
Review: The author, whose master work, Explicit and Authentic Acts/Amending the U.S. Constitution, I read with great satisfaction on 6 Feb 1998 and which was a co-winner of the 1997 Bancroft History prize, does in this work a good job discussing the two decades referred to in the title, devoting separate chapters to automobiles, electricity, radio, cinema, culture, and other topics. He discusses these without much foreshadowing, thus taking us into events as they appeared to the people who lived during them, rather than looking at them from the present. I found the book well-done and there is a good bibliography.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating, well-written, and insightful
Review: The Great Depression is an event that tends to dominate the history of America from 1920-1940, and while it certainly had an impact, this impact was not uniformly felt throughout the country. Other factors helped shape the modern world we live in today, and many of them had their genesis in the period 1920-1940. Music, movies, diet, fashion, where people lived, what they did on dates, and even family planning -- this book covers it all and does so in a way that is easy to read and entertaining. If you think the Depression and Prohibition are all there was to life during this time, then I recommend you pick up this book for a more well-rounded view.