Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.

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.

This stimulating collection is a veritable trip to a past American era, an inclusive picture of our nation at a time of crisis and rediscovery. The essays range from the sentimental to the dramatic to the humorous, but above all they are informative. It's a book to keep on your night table to browse at will. (Disclosure: A piece of mine is included.)

every so often a book appears that epitomizes an era and manages to encapsulate shared experience from many unique points of view. "a nation lost and found" belongs in that rarified pantheon of memoirs. if only history were taught routinely this way. at approaching age 72 i can clearly remember listening to norman corwin's broadcast after v.e. day "on a note of triumph" and the chills of recognition, hope, and caution his words produced. an american giant of his time, still. all the essays are memorable. required reading for anyone in the least interested in the events of the 20th century and what they tell us of human folly and hope. norman d. levine, md