Eleanor Roosevelt and the Arthurdale Experiment [Hardcover]

Nancy Hoffman (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up

In 1933, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt introduced the social programs of the New Deal to the people of America. Laboring under the economic collapse known as the Great Depression, people needed jobs, many were homeless, and more lived in dire poverty. This was graphically true in rural areas. One such was Scotts Run, a stretch of coal mining land in West Virginia that caught the attention of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. She determined to help the people there by creating for them a new, self-sufficient community called Arthurdale.

Eleanor Roosevelt had grown up in wealth and privilege, but her life had been full of personal hardships. Energetic and determined as a first lady, she was a lightning rod for critics who thought that her "pet project" couldn't work - but she held fast and proved them wrong. To the refugees from the mines, Arthurdale was the answer to their dreams. Here were tidy homes with furniture and indoor plumbing; a place for planting gardens, sending children to school, learning new trades in new industries, and working together for the good of the community. Arthurdale, nestled in the green hills of West Virginia, changed the lives of its first families forever.

This is the story of the unlikely relationship between a president's wife, the poorest of the poor, and the dream they shared. It is told in part by those who were once children in Arthurdale, and will give young readers an unusual slant on Depression-era history.

A Linnet Book. Grades 5-8, xvi, 110 p., illus., notes, bibliog. Library binding, 0-208-02504-9, $22.50.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 5-8-Hoffman serves up a little-known slice of American history with the story of her subject's personal crusade to aid West Virginia's downtrodden coal miners during the Depression, tracing the founding and ultimate downfall of America's first homesteading community. The government provided residents with the necessary tools to build homes and farm the land, while also handing them contracts that provided employment and revenue. After a prejudiced selection process that "appalled" Roosevelt ("The community in which we are located is thoroughly opposed to Negroes as residents"), 165 families from nearby areas moved to Arthurdale. Despite the government aid, the community failed to become self-sufficient. One chapter briefly sketches Roosevelt's life, and the author weaves accounts of the First Lady's continuous support to the homesteaders throughout the book. Interviews with residents and their descendants provide firsthand accounts, lending a somewhat conversational quality to the text. Black-and-white photos show Roosevelt in Arthurdale, workers in factories, and so on, and give a solid sense of life in the community. Currently, the town hosts the annual New Deal Festival, involving local craftsmen and home tours. This title may have limited appeal, but it is a good resource for reports.

Laura Glaser, Euless Junior High School, TX

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. Arthurdale, a planned community begun in the mid-1930s in West Virginia, was funded by the federal government as part of the New Deal. The program offered the hope of a better life to a selected number of the miners and their families who lived in depressed, overcrowded coal camps. From its beginnings, Arthurdale had an enthusiastic, caring spokesperson in Eleanor Roosevelt, who visited often and used her influence for the welfare of its citizens. Hoffman weaves her research into an involving, evenhanded report on this unusual social experiment, and ends with an evaluation of its failures and successes. Brief, well-chosen quotations set the stage for each chapter, while within the text (particularly in the chapter on education), the comments of community members provide insights into life in Arthurdale. Black-and-white photos appear throughout the book. Source notes and a bibliography are appended. The topic may be narrow; however, this engaging slice of history will lead students to a fuller understanding of the period. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 110 pages
• Publisher: Linnet Books (January 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0208025049
• ISBN-13: 978-0208025043
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,715,359 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars eleanor and arthurdale, January 12, 2011

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Dianne F. Salafia "dianne s." (pinellas park, florida United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Eleanor Roosevelt and the Arthurdale Experiment (Hardcover)

am really enjoying this book! visited arthurdale in october with my new husband. our tour guide had impressive knowledge. love west virginia!!