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FDR's Alphabet Soup: New Deal America 1932-1939
by
Tonya Bolden
FDR’S New Deal, which followed the 1929 stock market crash, was a hugely influential moment in the history of the United States, encompassing everything from the arts to finance, labor to legislation, and some think it helped bring the country out of the Great Depression. Here, Tonya Bolden, writing in her trademark accessible style, creates a portrait of a time that chang...more
Hardcover, 144 pages
Published
January 12th 2010
by Knopf Books for Young Readers
(first published 2010)
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I generally like Tonya Bolden's books of nonfiction for tweens and teens, but this one seemed like an interesting idea with unfortunate execution. At only slightly over 100 pages of text (with considerable end information, including a glossary, notes, and comprehensive sources), I thought it would be a fairly easy read. Instead, I found it a slog. FDR's New Deal programs ran the gamut of subjects, including art, environmental, and economic programs, but instead of focusing on the achievements (a...more
Packed full of informative text, illustrations, and source notes, Alphabet Soup introduces President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal legislation to a middle- to high-school audience. Bolden follows these often-acronymed programs as they affect Americans from the stock market crash of 1929 through to the dawn of World War II. Speckled with glossary-like sidebars and quotes from prominent figures of the day, Bolden's text draws the reader into a confusing world through current and historical slan...more
FRD's Alphabet Soup is more YA nonfiction than Children's nonfiction. I had to slog through this to finish it. That said, there is a lot of useful information, info on the first 100 and second hundred Days, etc., within this book that looks at the New Deal from 1932 to 1939. The layout looks good at first glance but somehow got me bogged down at times particularly the dense 2 page spread on pages 26-27 on the first hundred days. Good info but just overwhelming somehow. For reports it could be us...more
I liked this one--probably because I learned so much. The New Deal is under-covered in American history, I've decided. To be honest, I never remember learning much about the domestic politics of this era, we always skipped straight from WWI to WWII.
I liked how so many of the acronyms of this time period were explained clearly and concisely. This would be a great resource for a history classroom.
I liked how so many of the acronyms of this time period were explained clearly and concisely. This would be a great resource for a history classroom.
I kind of gave up with this one about 2/3 of the way through. I didn't think it was that bad; reading it was just too much like reading a social studies textbook. I really wanted to like the book because the topic is very relevant now, and the overall design of the book attracted me to it. There are a lot of great period photographs and it is packed with useful information, so I was disappointed that it just didn't pull me in more than it did. I think it's definitely better for browsing than str...more
There were lots of connections between present day politics and the start of much of our present government programs. Unfortunately the book felt very disjointed and lacked cohesion (does that mean the same thing? Well, it goes double!) The copious end notes make this good for the curriculum but it is definitely not a book I'd suggest reading from start to finish.
With its slangy prose style and copious photographs, this is an accessible piece of nonfiction for middle grade readers. I am a little unsure, however, whether that slang doesn't undermine the book's authority. I'm going to have to field-test this one on a couple of fifth graders before I recommend it for purchase in a school library.
Another reminder that I clearly did not read enough nonfiction as a teen! Who knew I was missing out on such a vibrant genre of information? This is a great nonfiction book that tells the story of the Great Depression, FDR, and the New Deal in text, photographs, and quotes. Even as an adult, I learned a lot!
Vascillating between two and three here, i.e. two and half, but. I think the information is super interesting but the narrative thread to move it along was pretty lacking. Also, there were some decisions made with regards to tone and word-choice that I just found random and bizarre.
For the last couple of years, we have had a local teacher assign kids a project where they have to write a research paper on one of FDR's "New Deals". This book was purchased to assist with this assignment.
It's a fantastic book and very easy to use. There are also photographs, political cartoons, illustrations, quotes from everyday people and more!
At the end is a glossary, a list of selected sources and an index.
It's a fantastic book and very easy to use. There are also photographs, political cartoons, illustrations, quotes from everyday people and more!
At the end is a glossary, a list of selected sources and an index.
The final chapter is a bit of a cop-out, not really discussing why the New Deal might or might not have been a good idea. Otherwise, this is a fascinating book, even for someone (like me) who knows quite a bit about the subject.
FDR's programs aimed to drag the United States out of the Great Depression after the stock market crash of 1929 were sometimes referred to as "alphabet soup" because of the many acronyms (WPA, FDIC, etc.). Here Tonya Bolden explores the Depression and FDR's attempts to help the American people during the 1930s. Tons of photos and sidebars accompany the text, providing a great deal of information in an accessible manner. While this book will be useful for report-writing, it'll also appeal to youn...more
Impressive handling of a very complicated subject.
May 18, 2013
Melissa Mccloud
marked it as to-read
Mar 20, 2013
Ivy Indictor
marked it as to-read
Feb 19, 2013
Shana
marked it as to-read
May 04, 2012
Annalee Schnebele
marked it as to-read
Nov 23, 2011
Darby DeCicco
marked it as to-read
Sep 13, 2011
New Brunswick
marked it as to-read
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