The Great Depression: An Interactive History Adventure

by Michael Burgan

In the 1930s, Americans faced one of the biggest crises ever to hit the country. During the Great Depression, the stock market crash caused banks to close and many companies to go out of business. Millions of people lost their jobs and homes during a time when the government wasn’t equipped to pick up the pieces. Will March on Washington, D.C., as a veteran member of the Bonus Army? Leave your home to find a better life by riding the rails? Help rebuild the country as a member of the Civilian Conservation Corps?

Genres: American History, History, Nonfiction, Childrens

112 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2001

Reviews

[Danny · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the 1930s. Americans come a biggest crises. The company break. Bank close. Millions of people lost their job. And people homeless. No money. And this book has choices to you. You can go to other country or help country to fix this problem. It’s a really nice book. Easy to read. And fun

[Adams' Country Retreat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some books are for learning and this one did not disappoint. Although I already knew a few facts about the Great Depression, I didn't know that "The Works Progress Administration supported thousands of artists who created 2,556 murals and 17,744 pieces of sculpture that decorate public buildings all over the United States." I also learned that my whole life I've been saying Franklin D. Roosevelt's middle name incorrectly. I'm wondering if I learned it from someone else and they didn't realize they were saying it wrong, or I just mixed his wife's name in with his. It's Delano not Delanor as in Eleanor. Thank you, Michael Burgan for writing this interesting book.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The time is the Great Depression. Money and food are scarce. How will you survive? You're either a female teenager trying to find food, an WWI veteran looking for pay, or a young man joining the CCC. There are plenty of paths to chose, plenty of ways things could go right or dreadfully wrong.

I loved "Choose Your Own Adventure" books when I was younger and I think these are excellent. Students get the fun while immersing themselves in history. I would love to collect them all for my classroom.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting.

[Ebookwormy1 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a typical account of the Great Depression for young people. I appreciate that Burgan has tried to present some conservative views that are clearly not his own. He has done this with simple articulation of the conflict between economic and political philosophies that the Great Depression revealed, though he is upbeat that America chose the correct remedies.

Nonetheless, like most educational texts, the account leans frustratingly left. Republican run governments allowed the economy to run into the ground and the Democrats expanded the federal government to meet the challenge, which was not fully vanquished until America entered WWII -- an added echo to the basic story line on repeat. FDR is hailed as an innovator who didn't have complete success, but was an inspirational speaker who held the country together and lead forth strongly.

Social Security is mentioned as a good program that provided security the private sector was unable to provide (which I am not sure is true), but there is no mention of the astronomical outstanding liability that Social Security is to the federal government today.

The book does close with an acknowledgement that the federal government's response to the Great Depression increased both the size of the government and the number of services it offered, but this is generally stated as a positive achievement. Facts that are not presented:
1) There is no discussion of the reality that we cannot afford this huge government providing all these services;
2) The government has failed on it's promise to be more effective in terms of quality and quantity of help as compared to the private sector;
3) Given the unprecedented length of the Great Depression it is reasonable to question whether or not the government and it's programs actually PROLONGED the pain;
3) FDR was not simply opposed by the Supreme Court on political grounds, but rather legal constructs - the Court was doing it's job in providing a balance of powers. FDR admired and desired fashionable fascist powers for the President/ himself to exercise (attempts to 'pack the Supreme Court are an example mentioned that go beyond the 'unfortunate tone' employed by the narrator);
4) The students reading this text will bear the brunt of the largest federal debt our country has ever known.

[Anastasia Tuckness · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series gives some background on a historical event or era, then allows you to become a character during that time and "choose your own adventure," and then concludes with some final information about the era.

It contains photographs and is laid out to appeal to readers who are not super strong readers.

I would recommend these books to kids in grade school who enjoy history and adventure.

[Mikey · Rating 4 out of 5]

History/Fiction This book is a choose your own path book so you could be a military veteran marching to the white house to get your they promised or you could be a young man working at the civilian conservation corps ccc for short and it about all the choices you could make during the great depression and my favorite part was when you were a teen and you started riding the rails and seeing all the thing they one day do

[Renae · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. Really, really informational. Although sometimes hard to explore all the paths, if you somehow can navigate them all, then you can learn quite a bit of history. I liked the story, but not the format so much.

[Kristin Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Politics aside, I think this book is a clear and easily understood summary of the Great Depression. This 48 page book tells the elementary reader what happened and what changes came about because of the Great Depression. Ages 8 to 11.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not nearly meaty enough but an interesting approach. A choose your own adventure guide surviving the Great Depression.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. So you could change the dates of the events of this book to recent years and it pretty much reflects a lot of our politics right now. Isn't the point of history to learn from it?

[August Maclauchlan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s ok.... definitely has a democraticpull.... not, a fan for children. They need to make up their own minds

[Aaron Sanner · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a pretty fun read for those who love to choose your own adventure books (Me).