A Nation Lost And Found: 1936 America Remembered by Ordinary and Extraordinary People [Hardcover]

Frank Pierson (Author), Stanley K. Sheinbaum (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2002

A Nation Lost and Found provides an extraordinary look at the moving personal stories of people who lived through the turbulent mid-1930's - a period in which the spirit of the individual, and the collective spirit of a nation, were awakened. The voices, experiences and remembrances in this unique compliation echo the patriotic fervor, the expressions of hope, the forecasts of doom, the crows of triumph and the cries of despair that have also resonated since 9/11 and send a message that we have passed this way beofre. What emerges is a kaleidoscopic picture of both the pain and joy of an era that also holds a powerful message for today's uncertain world. Among the widely varied contributors are: Norman Corwin; Tom Wicker; Glenn Seaborg; Gregory Peck; Shirley Temple Black; Studs Terkel; Stanley Marcus; Dr. Ruth Westheimer; Ring Lardner, Jr.; Elmore Leonard; Oleg Cassini; Dave Brubeck; Art Linkletter; Henry Luce III; Senator Howard Metzenbaum.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Frank Pierson is president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. An Oscar-winning writer, his numerous credits include the films Dog Day Afternoon, Cat Ballou and Cool Hand Luke and television shows Have Gun Will Travel, Naked City, Route 66 and Dr. Kildare. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Helene, three cats and two poodles. Stanley K. Sheinbaum is publisher of New Perspectives Quarterly and a board member of the International Center for Peace in the Middle East. He is a past chairman of the ACLU in Southern California and was a Rengent of the University of California from 1977 to 1989. He resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Betty, and their poodle, Micci.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Tallfellow Pr (September 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931290040
• ISBN-13: 978-1931290043
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,624,957 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Evocative Book, September 11, 2002

By 

Barbara S. Cohen (Glen Cove, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Nation Lost And Found: 1936 America Remembered by Ordinary and Extraordinary People (Hardcover)

Consisting of vignettes contributed by people both famous and unknown, A Nation Lost and Found describes life in America in 1936. Some contributions are taken from WPA interviews (from the 30s) and reflect the speakers' then current lives and concerns; most are remembrances produced for this book. The vignettes are loosely organized in sections such as, "Politics," " The Holocaust," "Daily Life," and "The Olympics." In their Introduction the authors place the book in the context of 9/11, saying the terrorist attack was not the first time there has been a major catastrophe in this country,
Most of us were not alive in 1936. This book, then, is about a time our parents and/or grandparents experienced. Thus, the book is of interest not only from a disinterested historical perspective, but also from a more personal, familial perspective, because it speaks of the experiences and attitudes of some of our family members and members of their communities.
The vignettes reflect many viewpoints. Some of the contributors seem to have been unaware of the suffering and turmoil in the world. In the words of one man, "Depression is a state of mind. There was no depression in 1936." Others were well aware of the difficult circumstances many experienced. To quote another, "It was a great year if you didn't care about eating."
Those who were poor had various strategies for coping. Some went to Canada for work. Others scrimped, wearing second-hand clothes and skipping trips to the doctor or dentist. A number rented rooms. A few women became prostitutes.
The authors do not attempt to draw lessons from what they present or to analyze the material. They present it as a book to be "browsed at random." In this they have succeeded admirably. All of the vignettes are interesting. Many are gems.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great way to learn history, October 11, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: A Nation Lost And Found: 1936 America Remembered by Ordinary and Extraordinary People (Hardcover)

According to the LA Times Book Review (9/22/02) this book is, "a delightful, cinematic, even musical way to understand the daily lives of Americans at a particularly vulnerable, tottering moment in our history." I couldn't agree more. It chronicles what may be the seminal year in our nation's history when we pulled together with a strong sense of national identity. The LA Times goes on to say, "If more history were written this way, we'd have eager students, driven to the subject with a greater sense of diversity and possibility. We all might have a finer understanding of what freedom means." The reviewer did us all a service by bringing this book to our attention.

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice Supplemental History Text, March 3, 2005

By 

Kristen from CA (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Nation Lost And Found: 1936 America Remembered by Ordinary and Extraordinary People (Hardcover)

I feel like this book, with its collection of oral histories, would make great supplementary reading for high school A.P. U.S. History classes or for American Studies curricula at the undergraduate and graduate level.

It's got a nice blend of academic approach and non-academic narrative style.