Studs Terkel's Hard Times is a panoramic chronicle of the great American depression of the nineteen-thirties. The book is entirely comprised of interviews and provides the vision of the great recession from top to bottom. From the administration that muddled through the crisis to the hobos and hustlers that scrambled through it. Written towards the late 60s, Hard Times also includes interviews from the young generation. In the prologue, the author explains that a time has come when one must stand out and speak to the younger generations about the great catastrophe.
A radio commentator, journalist, and author, Stud has provided a different perspective on different issues from the many published books over the years. Specifically, his publication in 1970 of the Hard Times. The book is an oral account of the great American depression. The author interviewed several people across America for the book and pieced them together to bring ordinary people to talk about their experiences and views on some aspects of the depression. Issues like the crash of 1929, the employment crisis, President Roosevelt's new programs, and farm holidays.
Stud grew up in Chicago; nonetheless, he was born in New York in the year 1912. He graduated from his undergraduate studies in 1932 and subsequently from law school in 1934. Presently, Stud hosts a radio program in Chicago emanating from WT FM. Where he interviews and lectures on different historical matters. Hard Times was one of his bestselling books among the Pulitzer-winning prize, Working, and the Race. Recounting other people's events and life experiences is Terkel's favorite job. His exceptional interviewing skills have enabled him to publish new books. For example, his race publication of how whites and blacks feel and think regarding American obsessions. The book is comprised of over one hundred interviews of people's attitudes and views regarding the issue of race.
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A listener, writer, disc jockey, and above all, a good reporter. Terkel begins the hard times on account of what the country managed to go through after occurrences in 1929. In Hard Times, the author takes the reader through the memories, reflections, and views of the depression, as told by those who were affected by it and lived through the hard times. The author captured how the hard times changed society, collecting pieces of information from those who faced depression and those who remained opulent. It is filled with people's details and information during hard times. The book vividly narrates the effect of depression on those who survived it and afterward became the embodiment of the United States of America. It serves as an example of the American spirit, after several years of struggling, and how the country got back on its track once again.
The first few chapters of the book give an outline of the great disaster. It begins by discussing the bonus march in Washington by the veterans, which placed the last nail on the coffin of President Hoover's government. On the one hand, the author demonstrates how the rich dealt with the crash of 1929. While on the other hand, the book deals with how families survived, the hobos traveling culture, and the nomads. The book finally ends with two chapters discussing the rise and rise of the civil movement and labor unions in America.
The second chapter is focused on how Americans survived the destruction due to the great depression of the nineteen-thirties. It includes the inspiring accounts of impoverished citizens who lost everything but still have humanity in them. Similarly, it profiles conmen, bootleggers, and hustlers who survived by all means possible. The author focuses the reader's attention on two American groups that were mostly helpless; farmers and coal miners. He explores how their sufferings and pains were improved in these sections by the government and to some extent, the unions.
The third book of Hard Times focuses on the establishment of the great depression. The author begins to interview brain trusters and power players in President Roosevelt's government. He further discusses other major political players, specifically; Alf Landon, Huey Long, and Dr. Townsend. Similarly, he interviews political players at the time in the leftist movement; Wobblies, Communists, Catholic workers, and many more. In Hard Times, Studs seem to disprove the notion that there was a brewing off a socialist revolution in America. The fourth book is concerned with the strategy of the Second World War and its impact on ending the great American depression.
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