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American-Made: The Enduring Legacy of the WPA: When FDR Put the Nation to Work
by
Nick Taylor
Seventy-five years after Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, here for the first time is the remarkable story of one of its enduring cornerstones, the Works Progress Administration (WPA): its passionate believers, its furious critics, and its amazing accomplishments.
The WPA is American history that could not be more current, from providing economic stimulus to renewing a brok...more
The WPA is American history that could not be more current, from providing economic stimulus to renewing a brok...more
Paperback, 640 pages
Published
February 24th 2009
by Bantam
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Emphasizes FDR but also Harry Hopkins, the WPAs founding director. By 1933, unemployment was roughly 25%. The Works Progress Administration was controversial, as conservative economists viewed it as wasteful and intrusive; government had no place in the marketplace, except for regulation. Over eight years, the WPA spearheaded programs that built dams, roads, bridges, and WPA workers painted murals, served hot meals to the poor, and fixed toys. Most importantly, it provided hope. Hopkins was...more
The Great Depression of 1929 was caused by the Republican Presidents' abrogation of their authority to short-sighted business interests. (Where have I heard of something like that recently?) The resulting 25% unemployment rate inspired Republican President Hoover to do absolutely nothing. The WPA was the new Democratic administration's effort to put people to work. In the process, the infrastructure of the United States was transformed; Republicans, however, continued to vilify the Democrati...more
Taylor's lively, comprehensive study of the WPA considerably divided the critics. Though Taylor doesn't balk at detailing the program's flaws, he also doesn't conceal his admiration for the program and the men who created it. His hero, of course, is Harry Hopkins, the WPA's founding director. Several critics praised Taylor's writing and research, describing American-Made as insightful and evenhanded. While some reviewers complained about its length and lack of focus, a few, like the reviewer fro
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First of all, do not be scared by the length. The last 100 pages support the research. And the book is well worth reading,and so relevant to our current economic and political situation.
I read a lot of it as a Robin Hood story. What if Obama had a large democratic majority and could spend almost unlimited amount of money hiring the unemployed. Sure I knew about the WPA and have always seen sidewalks and civic buildings with those initials. But, I never realized that they spent money o...more
I read a lot of it as a Robin Hood story. What if Obama had a large democratic majority and could spend almost unlimited amount of money hiring the unemployed. Sure I knew about the WPA and have always seen sidewalks and civic buildings with those initials. But, I never realized that they spent money o...more
I've been thinking a lot about the Great Depression lately, so I decided to read this book about the WPA which I had bought awhile ago but never gotten around to reading.
This was a pretty hefty book (500 + pages), but a really quick read. The author takes you from the horrors of the hunger and unemployment of the Hoover years and the beginning of the Depression through FDR's election, and the early jobs programs the preceded the Works Progress Administration.
I had obviously h...more
This was a pretty hefty book (500 + pages), but a really quick read. The author takes you from the horrors of the hunger and unemployment of the Hoover years and the beginning of the Depression through FDR's election, and the early jobs programs the preceded the Works Progress Administration.
I had obviously h...more
I heard an interview with author Nick Taylor this morning on NPR. Nick Taylor speaks as well and charmingly as he writes, which is saying a lot. Hearing him and then receiving several book recommendations from book friends this afternoon, I am compelled to share Nick Taylor's good word. His analysis of the WPA (Works Progress Administration) clears up lots of mosconceptions about the effectiveness of that program and its long-lasting benefits, which extended well beyond the actual numbers of ...more
I really enjoyed this book-- clearly, animatedly well-written in short, easy to absorb chapters which combined big-picture, textbook history with anecdotes and first person stories of people who lived through the time, it was a quick read, and an enjoyable and edifying one. Particularly given its era's similarity with ours!
The beginning of this book was dry as dust -- a ton of exposition about the history of the New Deal, a subject I normally find interesting, but that nearly put me to sleep here. I almost put the book aside, but I'm very glad that I did not. The personal stories of people who worked for the WPA were fascinating; I especially enjoyed tales of the women who rode pack horses in rural Tennessee to bring books to schools and farmers in the backwoods. The inside stories of the political fights within t...more
This extremely readable accounting of the WPA feels prescient. Yes, I know that jobs are a lagging indicator of recovery, but reading how Hoover kept insisting that we were in a recovery while the country clearly wasn't sounds similar to what we're hearing now. Not being an economist I'm not making any predictions, and we're clearly not in the same place now that we were in 1933, but still...
When FDR started to tackle the recovery, setting in place any number of government programs...more
When FDR started to tackle the recovery, setting in place any number of government programs...more
I don't know when, nor how, it started, but sometime in the past 10 years, I developed a keen interest in WPA era architecture. Was it just the style of the time that attracts me? I don't know. I just know when I look at a building, I can usually tell if it's a WPA building. There's some intrinsic quality, and I don't know what it is, that just jumps out at me.
It started with just the architecture. Then it bled into an appreciation of WPA posters. The bold graphics and the blo...more
It started with just the architecture. Then it bled into an appreciation of WPA posters. The bold graphics and the blo...more
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Writerly passion and interest can even inform a dry subject like the Works Progress Administration (WPA).
In "American Made: When FDR Put the Nation to Work," Nick Taylor takes what might be food for only the wonkiest among us and gives a fighting chance with those who merely like an interesting story.
Lists and data are inevitable in a book about a public works project and so we are often exposed to paragraphs detailing the 5,000 bridges built, 70,...more
If you are already generally familiar with the WPA and supported the idea of the program, this book provides a nice positive overview of the history of the WPA, projects completed by the WPA, and anecdotal stories of individuals who worked for the WPA. It is generally evenhanded but definitely skews towards the productive aspects of the program.
It is a good book to read in the context of the current America Reinvestment and Recovery Act, which in some ways in similar, albeit with ...more
It is a good book to read in the context of the current America Reinvestment and Recovery Act, which in some ways in similar, albeit with ...more
I read this book because I've increasingly been thinking that we need something like the New Deal today. The history was very interesting but it got a little too long and I lost interest. My biggest issue is that Taylor is so obviously pro-New Deal that he does a pretty crappy job of explaining any criticism. Perhaps there is no good criticism but I want to make my own mind up about that. Instead, the implication behind any opposing views was that they were made by a bunch of morons.
A fairly interesting book that was a plenty good read; however, it felt like the ending was rushed.
If you are a fan of early 20h Century American history, then this is a book you should read. Nick Taylor explores, in depth, the Hoover administration and its deficiencies. Personally, I think that Taylor goes a little overboard with his sole blame on the Hoover administration, but agree with the fact the administration did nothing to help the issue at hand--the Great Depression.
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If you are a fan of early 20h Century American history, then this is a book you should read. Nick Taylor explores, in depth, the Hoover administration and its deficiencies. Personally, I think that Taylor goes a little overboard with his sole blame on the Hoover administration, but agree with the fact the administration did nothing to help the issue at hand--the Great Depression.
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Kind of inspiring, I thought. Highlights the accomplishments of the WPA. Quite timely. But also controversial as some believe the country would have been better off without those "make work" projects. Hard to know.
With all the comparisons made to the Depression and our current economic conditions, I was interested in learning more about how Roosevelt handled the high unemployment rate. While I usually don't choose historical books, this one was a great read. The chapters were short, and the details of a particular program were told in relation to the plight of a real person. Yes, there is a lot of politics involved, but I learned so much about the art, the writing, and the buildings that were created d...more
Excellent audio book on the history of the WPA. Taylor covers the history of the project in a thorough and interesting manner. Political deals are interspersed with personal tales.
Very nice history of the WPA. I had no idea how this organization was put together and the incredible patriots that made jobs possible. If only they were here today.
Great book. I liked the aternation of history with more personal accounts. Would like to read this again someday.
Interesting book; may be too uncritical of the WPA at times, but it has many good anecdotes.
A great book on the WPA. well worth reading.
This is more of an overview than a deep historical analysis, but it is a good overview. What I found most intriguing were some eerie paralells between politicians' statements about the faltering economy then and today. Fortunately, the legacy of the New Deal should prevent our current economic situation from sinking to the depths of despair that prompted the creation of the WPA, but it is unfortunate that today's leaders are unlikely to learn any lessons from the events of that period.
Wow. In High School you learn the basics, but this book delves into a historical play by play of the New Deal and the creation and demise of the WPA. There are so many parallels to today's economic crisis and what is possible to come. I have a much better understanding of the long standing employee/employer and citizen/government conflicts that plague our country. It's amazing how much we haven't learned from those days...
Sadly, I never got the the actual history of the WPA. The chapters leading up to it, describing the orgins of the New Deal, were so over-argued and so crudely liberal that I couldn't see putting more time into it. Bummer. Ever since Grapes of Wrath's Joad journey through WPA camps and projects, I've wanted to read an on-the-ground account of this amazing program. Thought this might be it, but no.
Every one should know about the WPA, and through the knowledge of what it accomplished, maybe we can put arts back in its proper place, as very important to our cultural life, and something the government should be supporting, and something we need government support for. Lets put art back in our schools and try for a little cultural literacy.
The author is a fan of FDR and makes that clear from the start. It's a very affectionate tone throughout. I really liked the personal stories of WPA workers and leadership - makes that time in history really come to life. So many parallels with our situation today, including the conflict btw President and Supreme Court!
As much as I usually dislike letting a book go before I'm finished, this one's out. I put it down months ago and have been waiting for any desire to pick it back up, and none showed. At least the first half of this book showed me just what an ineffective jerk Herbert Hoover really was.
Can you say "stimulus"? Before reading this book I was unaware of the breadth of the programs funded by the WPA. I found an excellent counterpart to the book "Traitor to His Class" which covers the political aspects of FDR's administration. I preferred "American Made".
I'm actually currently "listening" to this book. I loved the historical detail leading up to the WPA. I'm getting a little bored with the middle talking about the art and music. I'm sticking it out for awile longer. I just never could finish!
It was very interesting to read this book in light of our current economic crisis, and to see some of the ways in which government can help.
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For other Nick Taylors, see similar names.
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