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Dovey Undaunted: A Black Woman Breaks Barriers in the Law, the Military, and the Ministry
by Tonya BoldenCoretta Scott King Honor–winning author Tonya Bolden chronicles the life of an intrepid lawyer and civil rights pioneer. Dovey Johnson Roundtree was most famous for her successful defense of an indigent Black man accused of the murder of Mary Pinchot Meyer, a prominent white Washington, DC, socialite, in 1965. Despite her triumph in this high-profile case, Roundtree continued to represent the poor and the underserved. She was the first lawyer to bring a bus desegregation case before the Interstate Commerce Commission, clinching the ruling that enabled Robert F. Kennedy to enforce bus integration. She was also among the first Black women to enter the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, and was one of the first ordained female ministers in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Tracing Roundtree’s life from her childhood in Jim Crow North Carolina through her adulthood, Tonya Bolden illuminates a little-known figure in American history who believed the law should serve the people, and places her firmly in the context of twentieth-century civil rights and African American culture.
Dowding & Churchill: The Dark Side of the Battle of Britain
by Jack DixonA WWII historian shines a light on an unsung hero of the Battle of Britain and reveals the conspiracy that led to his undignified dismissal.From 1936 to 1940, Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding built Britain’s cutting edge defensive force, Fighter Command. Thanks to his foresight, Fighter Command was the only military arm prepared for battle when war was declared against Germany. Dowding’s leadership of Fighter Command was crucial to achieving victory in the Battle of Britain—one of the decisive battles of Western Civilization.Though the importance of the Battle of Britain was recognized at the time, Dowding was relieved of his command shortly afterward—and shuffled into retirement without recognition. This book reveals that this was the result of a shabby conspiracy by fellow officers. In March 1941, the Air Ministry published a brief account of the battle that made no mention of Dowding.Churchill was furiously indignant. But in November 1940 he had acquiesced in Dowding’s removal. Why? And what are the factors that led to Dowding’s dismissal in the first place? In this thought-provoking and authoritative book Jack Dixon answers these questions and explains Dowding’s true greatness.
Dowding of Fighter Command: Victor of the Battle of Britain
by Vincent OrangeAn extensive biography of the life and distinguished military career of the Scottish air chief marshal. Making full use of archival sources, studies by other scholars, and information provided by family members, Vincent Orange has completed the first biography of Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding to cover his entire life. Soldier, pilot, wireless pioneer, squadron commander, spiritualist, champion skier, &“Stuffy&” Dowding is perhaps best known as the creator of the first radar-based air defense system and his no less remarkable management of such throughout the Battle of Britain. Dowding served in &“delightful and dangerous Iraq,&” helped to pacify unrest in the Holy Land, was involved in the R.101 airship disaster, and oversaw the creation of Britain&’s first eight-gun monoplanes, the Hurricane and Spitfire. Controversially dismissed from Fighter Command and refused the R.A.F.&’s highest rank, he nevertheless became the first airman elevated to the peerage since Trenchard. Westminster Abbey was packed for his memorial service in March 1970 with more than 46 air marshals in attendance; and in 1988, H.M. the Queen Mother unveiled a statue in his honor. With his expert eye, respected historian Orange has analyzed and evaluated every episode of Dowding&’s exceptional career to produce the definitive biography.
Dowding's Eagles: Accounts of Twenty-Five Battle of Britain Veterans
by Norman FranksTwenty-five veteran airmen share stories of their experiences during World War II’s Battle of Britain in this unique history.The Battle of Britain fought by The Few, as Churchill famously called them, will remain a legendary feat of arms for centuries to come. Sadly, there remain only a handful today who can tell their stories so this collection of personal accounts is extremely timely.The Author has over the years gathered the stories of twenty-five survivors and in Dowding’s Eagles he brings these stirring stories together. Each account describes the actions and impressions of the individuals who fought lonely battles against a numerically superior enemy. The odds were stacked against The Few.Over 500 pilots were killed in action during the summer of 1940, and this book is as much about those who gave their lives for their country as those who risked everything but managed to survive.Together with photographs of the men and their aircraft, this is an inspiring book.
Down Along with That Devil's Bones: A Reckoning with Monuments, Memory, and the Legacy of White Supremacy
by Connor Towne O'Neill&“We can no longer see ourselves as minor spectators or weary watchers of history after finishing this astonishing work of nonfiction.&” —Kiese Laymon, author of Heavy In Down Along with That Devil&’s Bones, journalist Connor Towne O&’Neill takes a deep dive into American history, exposing the still-raging battles over monuments dedicated to one of the most notorious Confederate generals, Nathan Bedford Forrest. Through the lens of these conflicts, O&’Neill examines the legacy of white supremacy in America, in a sobering and fascinating work sure to resonate with readers of Tony Horwitz, Timothy B. Tyson, and Robin DiAngelo. When O&’Neill first moved to Alabama, as a white Northerner, he felt somewhat removed from the racism Confederate monuments represented. Then one day in Selma, he stumbled across a group of citizens protecting a monument to Forrest, the officer who became the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan and whom William Tecumseh Sherman referred to as &“that devil.&” O&’Neill sets off to visit other disputed memorials to Forrest across the South, talking with men and women who believe they are protecting their heritage, and those who have a different view of the man&’s poisonous history. O&’Neill&’s reporting and thoughtful, deeply personal analysis make it clear that white supremacy is not a regional affliction but is in fact coded into the DNA of the entire country. Down Along with That Devil&’s Bones presents an important and eye-opening account of how we got from Appomattox to Charlottesville, and where, if we can truly understand and transcend our past, we could be headed next.
Down Among the Dead Men: A Year in the Life of a Mortuary Technician
by Michelle WilliamsMichelle Williams is young and attractive, with close family ties, a busy social life . . . and an unusual occupation. When she impulsively applies to be a mortuary technician and is offered the position, she has no idea that her decision to accept will be one of the most momentous of her life. "What I didn't realize then," she writes, "was that I was about to start one of the most amazing jobs you can do."To Williams, life in the mortuary is neither grim nor frightening. She introduces readers to a host of unique characters: pathologists (many eccentric, some utterly crazy), undertakers, and the man from the coroner's office who sings to her every morning. No two days are alike, and while Williams's sensitivity to the dead never wavers, her tales from the crypt range from mischievous to downright shocking. Readers won't forget the fitness fanatic run over while doing nighttime push-ups on the road, the man so large he had to be carted in via refrigerated truck, or the guide dog who led his owner onto railway tracks-and left him there. The indomitable Williams never bats an eye, even as she is confronted-daily-with situations that would leave the rest of us speechless.
Down Among the Dead Men: A Year in the Life of a Mortuary Technician
by Michelle WilliamsMichelle Williams is young and attractive, she has close family ties as well as a busy social life - but she is far from usual. She is a mortuary technician and her job involves dealing with those things in life that many people do not wish to experience directly.Yet life in the mortuary is neither gruesome nor sad. Told with good humour and common sense, we are introduced to a host of characters - the pathologists, many of them eccentric, some downright mad; the undertakers, the hospital porters and the man from the coroner's office who sings to Michelle every morning.The incidents too ensure that no two days are ever the same. From the tragic to the hilarious they include: The fitness fanatic who was run over as he did pressups in the road on a dark night The decapitated motorcyclist The guide dog who led his owner on to the railway tracks - and left him there The forty stone man for whom an entire refrigerated lorry had to be hired because he wouldn't fit in the mortuary coolerOver the course of her first year Michelle has to deal with situations and emotions that few of us will ever experience, and does so while retaining a sense of humour and a sense of perspective.
Down Around Midnight
by Robert SabbagA bestselling author tells the terrifying and inspiring story of the plane crash he survived Around midnight on June 17, 1979, Air New England flight 248 crashed into the woods on Cape Cod. The pilot died but the copilot and eight passengers survived with trauma both physical and emotional. Robert Sabbag, at the height of his fame for his bestselling book Snowblind, was among them. Down Around Midnightis Sabbag's gripping account of what exactly happened on that foggy night and his candid attempt to come to terms with the emotional ramifications of the crash. He reconnects with the other survivors and their rescuers for the first time in thirty years, weaving the narrative between past and present to create a thrilling and affecting story of survival and recovery. Like the best survivor tales-Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Airand Joe Simpson's Touching the Void-Down Around Midnightis fast paced and mesmerizing. It is also a meditation on healing and the things we do to compartmentalize traumatic memories. Few people experience a plane crash and live to tell the story. Sabbag brings his striking, economical style to this personal tale of learning how to remember and how to endure.
Down Below
by Marina Warner Leonora CarringtonA stunning work of memoir and an unforgettable depiction of the brilliance and madness by one of Surrealism's most compelling figuresIn 1937 Leonora Carrington—later to become one of the twentieth century’s great painters of the weird, the alarming, and the wild—was a nineteen-year-old art student in London, beautiful and unapologetically rebellious. At a dinner party, she met the artist Max Ernst. The two fell in love and soon departed to live and paint together in a farmhouse in Provence. In 1940, the invading German army arrested Ernst and sent him to a concentration camp. Carrington suffered a psychotic break. She wept for hours. Her stomach became “the mirror of the earth”—of all worlds in a hostile universe—and she tried to purify the evil by compulsively vomiting. As the Germans neared the south of France, a friend persuaded Carrington to flee to Spain. Facing the approach “of robots, of thoughtless, fleshless beings,” she packed a suitcase that bore on a brass plate the word Revelation. This was only the beginning of a journey into madness that was to end with Carrington confined in a mental institution, overwhelmed not only by her own terrible imaginings but by her doctor’s sadistic course of treatment. In Down Below she describes her ordeal—in which the agonizing and the marvelous were equally combined—with a startling, almost impersonal precision and without a trace of self-pity. Like Daniel Paul Schreber’s Memoirs of My Nervous Illness, Down Below brings the hallucinatory logic of madness home.
Down But Not Out: The Incredible Story of Second World War Airman Maurice 'Moggy' Mayne
by Mark Ryan Maurice MayneMaurice ‘Moggy’ Mayne was a cricket-loving air gunner in the Second World War, with a pretty girlfriend back home in rural England. His turret was in a Bristol Beaufort and his pilot had to fly with almost suicidal bravery at giant German warships before releasing the torpedo. No wonder Moggy’s first pilot cracked up and his second liked to drink. When he was shot down, Moggy miraculously survived – unlike his best friend Stan. Moggy was sent to Stalag Luft VIIIB, an infamous German POW camp near the Polish border, where he was badly treated. Fearing losing his beloved girlfriend Sylvia forever, and risking recapture and execution, he saw the chance to escape alone, thus beginning an epic journey through Nazi-occupied Germany. As the Gestapo shot other escaped British servicemen, Moggy Mayne came agonisingly close to lasting freedom. Instead, as the war neared its end, he had to face the horrors of the ‘long march’ west – and he felt his life slipping away. Would he ever see his Sylvia again?
Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression
by Brooke ShieldsFrom the Publisher In this compelling memoir, Brooke Shields talks candidly about her experience with postpartum depression after the birth of her daughter, and provides millions of women with an inspiring example of recovery. When Brooke Shields welcomed her newborn daughter, Rowan Francis, into the world, something unexpected followed-a crippling depression. Now, for the first time ever, in Down Came the Rain, Brooke talks about the trials, tribulations, and finally the triumphs that occurred before, during, and after the birth of her daughter. In what is sure to strike a chord with the millions of women who suffer from depression after childbirth, America's sweetheart Brooke Shields shares how she, too, battled this debilitating condition that is widely misunderstood, despite the fact that it affects many new mothers. She discusses the illness in the context of her life, including her struggle to get pregnant, the high expectations she had for herself and that others placed on her as a new mom, and the role of her husband, friends, and family as she struggled to attain her maternal footing in the midst of a disabling depression. And, ultimately, Brooke shares how she found a way out through talk therapy, medication, and time. Exhibiting an informed voice and a self-deprecating sense of humor, this first memoir from a woman who has grown up before the eyes of the world is certain to attract the attention and empathy of many new mothers and fans alike. Brooke Shields has starred in many feature films, including Pretty Baby, Blue Lagoon, and Black and White. She earned critical acclaim on Broadway for The Vagina Monologues and Cabaret, among other shows. She earned a People's Choice Award and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy Series for her starring role in Suddenly Susan. Brooke continues to lend aid to issues involving children's welfare and education.
Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression
by Brooke ShieldsIn this compelling memoir, Brooke Shields talks candidly about her experience with postpartum depression after the birth of her daughter, and provides millions of women with an inspiring example of recovery. When Brooke Shields welcomed her newborn daughter, Rowan Francis, into the world, something unexpected followed--a crippling depression. Now, for the first time ever, in Down Came the Rain, Brooke talks about the trials, tribulations, and finally the triumphs that occurred before, during, and after the birth of her daughter.
Down City: A Daughter's Story of Love, Memory, and Murder
by Leah CarrollLike James Ellroy's, My Dark Places, DOWN CITY is a gripping narrative built of memory and reportage, and Leah Carroll's portrait of Rhode Island is sure to take a place next Mary Karr's portrayal of her childhood in East Texas and David Simon's gritty Baltimore. Leah Carroll's mother, a gifted amateur photographer, was murdered by two drug dealers with Mafia connections when Leah was four years old. Her father, a charming alcoholic who hurtled between depression and mania, was dead by the time she was eighteen. Why did her mother have to die? Why did the man who killed her receive such a light sentence? What darkness did Leah inherit from her parents? Leah was left to put together her own future and, now in her memoir, she explores the mystery of her parents' lives, through interviews, photos, and police records. DOWN CITY is a raw, wrenching memoir of a broken family and an indelible portrait of Rhode Island- a tiny state where the ghosts of mafia kingpins live alongside the feisty, stubborn people working hard just to get by. Heartbreaking, and mesmerizing, it's the story of a resilient young woman's determination to discover the truth about a mother she never knew and the deeply troubled father who raised her-a man who was, Leah writes, "both my greatest champion and biggest obstacle."
Down Second Avenue
by Ngugi Wa Thiong'O Es'Kia MphahleleEs'kia Mphahlele's seminal memoir of life in apartheid South Africa--available for the first time in Penguin Classics Nominated for the Nobel Prize in 1969, Es'kia Mphahlele is considered the Dean of African Letters and the father of black South African writing. Down Second Avenue is a landmark book that describes Mphahlele's experience growing up in segregated South Africa. Vivid, graceful, and unapologetic, it details a daily life of severe poverty and brutal police surveillance under the subjugation of an apartheid regime. Banned in South Africa after its original 1959 publication for its protest against apartheid, Down Second Avenue is a foundational work of literature that continues to inspire activists today.
Down Size: 12 Truths for Turning Pants-Splitting Frustration into Pants-Fitting Success
by Mehmet C. Oz Ted SpikerTed Spiker may be the coauthor of numerous bestselling diet and health books, but the man just can't resist a good burrito. Or a bad burrito. (<P><P>He's also eaten a 76-ounce steak, asserted that his wife's post-pregnancy jeans were the best-fitting pants he ever wore, and was asked by his own childhood doctor if his "feminine shape" embarrassed him at the beach.) In Down Size, Ted takes readers on an inspiring, candid, and comical journey, exploring the art and science of weight loss throughhis own struggles as a pear-shaped man in a not-so-pear-shaped world, with research about food, exercise, and the psychology of losing weight. He reveals twelve truths about successful weight loss, in areas such as temptation, frustration, nutrition, and inspiration. Some truths:* Redefine the Definition of Data* Leave Behind Your Extra Gland* Think Process, Not Outcome* Train Shorter, Train Harder Combining science, personal stories, expert interviews, and advice, Down Size is an entertaining, field-tested, and research-based look at how men and women can finally find the body they want.
Down South: One Tour in Vietnam
by William H. Hardwick"I was always happy to see first light. By first light it was over ... for a while." -from Down South. There were a lot of ways to get killed in Vietnam. You could get "zapped," "dinged," "burned," "popped," "smoked," or "wasted." Marine 2nd Lt. William H. Hardwick was familiar with all of them because, unlike most USMC artillery officers--who waged their war from bunkers inside protected compounds--Hardwick as a forward observer fought alongside rifle companies and lived like a grunt for most of his thirteen-month tour. In Okinawa, Vietnam was referred to as "Down South," and in 1968, "Down South" was a bad place to be. Hardwick did it all--walking point, springing ambushes, capturing prisoners, and spending months in the bush surrounded by crack NVA troops. At times the attacking enemy was so close, Hardwick had to call in air strikes almost on top of the Marines themselves just so they could survive. William Hardwick volunteered to fight as one of the few, the proud, the Marines.
Down Syndrome Out Loud: 20+ True Stories of Disability and Determination
by Melissa Hart"In a society that often overlooks those with intellectual and developmental disabilities…this book will inspire readers to befriend and champion people with Down syndrome." – JACQUELINE JODL, Special Olympics InternationalIn this illustrated biography collection, meet over twenty people with Down syndrome who have accomplished amazing things in their lives. Excelling in film, sports, business, photography, and more, these people are changing hearts and minds about their disability. Read about Chris Nikic, the first person with Down syndrome to complete an Ironman Triathlon, and Isabella Springmuhl Tejada, the first designer with Down syndrome invited to showcase her work at London Fashion Week. Learn about the Special Olympics, Best Buddies, and other organizations who support the Down syndrome community. Each of these stories will educate and inspire young readers, both kids with Down syndrome and their family members, friends, classmates, and teammates!Included in this book:AC HeigelAlex BourneAlex LeeAllison FogartyChris NikicChristine LauGeoffrey MikolGrace KeyGrace StrobelIsabella Springmuhdi TejadaJamie BrewerJared KozakJohn CroninJohn TuckerKaren GaffneyKayla McKeonMadison TrevlinMeg OhsadaMichael HoltonNick DoyleRonnie BrownSofia SanchezTommy JessopYulissa ArescurenagaZack GottsagenSpecial OlympicsBest BuddiesNational Down Syndrome SocietyThe Buddy Walk
Down These Mean Streets
by Piri ThomasA linguistic event. Gutter language, Spanish imagery and personal poetics ... mingle into a kind of individual statement that has very much its own sound.
Down and Back: On Alcohol, Family, and a Life in Hockey
by Justin BourneFor readers of Nine Lessons I Learned from My Father and Hockey Confidential, Down and Back tells broadcaster Justin Bourne&’s story of following his Hall-of-Fame father not only to the NHL, but also into rehab.Bob Bourne was everything a son wants to emulate—an NHL All-Star, a Sports Illustrated &“Sportsman of the Year,&” a Stanley Cup champion. Justin Bourne followed in those huge footsteps, leading his teams in scoring year after year, and finally garnering an invitation to the New York Islanders&’ training camp—the same team his father had played for. But Bourne was also following his father down a darker path.Though he hadn&’t begun drinking until he was 21, by 36 his drinking had nearly swamped his career and his marriage. In an act of brutal self-honesty—which may not have been possible if not for his understanding of how lying spurred by alcoholism can cause a family pain—Bourne got help, got sober, and confronted what his father and the game mean to him.Down and Back is a frank and unflinching appraisal of the game and Bourne&’s relationship with it: the violence and danger, the booze and drugs, the consequences of fame. But it is also an honest look at what is redeeming about the sport, through the eyes of someone who grew up in NHL dressing rooms, who has skated on NHL ice as both a player and a coach, and who inherited the game from a man he&’s grown to better understand by looking more closely at himself.
Down and Dirty in the Dordogne
by Andrea FrazerThis is the story of how two middle-aged Brits gave up a nice life in Blighty after falling in love with a delightfully dilapidated old French property. It's no mean feat trying to restore a cavernous barn of a house (hovel) during the worst financial crisis of the modern age, especially when you're faced with dodgy builders, red tape, rowdy locals, health problems, recalcitrant relatives, a house in England that simply won't sell, and a multitude of escapologist cats - not to mention some resident skeletons. Andrea Frazer gives the lowdown on the ups and downs that befall two fish out of water as the couple take the plunge and move across the Channel.
Down and Dirty in the Dordogne
by Andrea FrazerThis is the story of how two middle-aged Brits gave up a nice life in Blighty after falling in love with a delightfully dilapidated old French property.It’s no mean feat trying to restore a cavernous barn of a house (hovel) during the worst financial crisis of the modern age, especially when you’re faced with dodgy builders, red tape, rowdy locals, health problems, recalcitrant relatives, a house in England that simply won’t sell, and a multitude of escapologist cats – not to mention some resident skeletons.Andrea Frazer gives the lowdown on the ups and downs that befall two fish out of water as the couple take the plunge and move across the Channel.
Down and Dirty in the Dordogne
by Andrea FrazerThis is the story of how two middle-aged Brits gave up a nice life in Blighty after falling in love with a delightfully dilapidated old French property.It’s no mean feat trying to restore a cavernous barn of a house (hovel) during the worst financial crisis of the modern age, especially when you’re faced with dodgy builders, red tape, rowdy locals, health problems, recalcitrant relatives, a house in England that simply won’t sell, and a multitude of escapologist cats – not to mention some resident skeletons.Andrea Frazer gives the lowdown on the ups and downs that befall two fish out of water as the couple take the plunge and move across the Channel.
Down and Out in Paradise: The Life of Anthony Bourdain
by Charles LeerhsenThe bestselling, &“unvarnished&” (The New York Times), &“engrossing&” (The Guardian), &“gritty, well-researched&” (The Economist)—and definitely unauthorized—biography of the celebrity chef and TV star Anthony Bourdain, based on extensive interviews with those who knew the real story.Anthony Bourdain&’s death by suicide in June 2018 shocked people around the world. Bourdain seemed to have it all: an irresistible personality, a dream job, a beautiful family, and international fame. The reality, though, was more complicated than it seemed. Bourdain became a celebrity with his bestselling book Kitchen Confidential. He parlayed it into a series of hit television shows, including the Food Channel&’s Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations and CNN&’s Parts Unknown. But his bad boy charisma belied a troubled spirit. Addiction and an obsession with perfection and personal integrity ruined two marriages and turned him into a boss from hell, even as millions of fans became enamored of the quick-witted and genuinely empathetic traveler they saw on TV. At the height of his success Bourdain was already running out of steam, physically and emotionally, when he fell hard for an Italian actress who could be even colder to him than he sometimes was to others, and who effectively drove a wedge between him and his young daughter. Down and Out in Paradise is the first book to tell the full Bourdain story, and to show how Bourdain&’s never-before-reported childhood traumas fueled both the creativity and insecurities that would lead him to a place of despair. &“Filled with fresh, intimate details&” (The New York Times), this is the real story behind an extraordinary life.
Down and Out in Paris and London
by George OrwellThe first book from the author of Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four. Down and Out in Paris and London is an account of George Orwell's experiences with poverty in France and England. <P> First, in France, he struggles to make ends meet while looking for work at various Restaurants, and when he manages to find employment, he discovers that the hours of cruelly long and the pay low staggeringly low. Eventually, he retreats to England with the promise of work, only to find that it will not start for several weeks. When his meager savings run out, he is forced to live on the streets until his new positions begins. It is a frank, honest depiction of a bleak way to live. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
Down and Out in the Great Depression: Letters from the Forgotten Man
by Robert S. Mcelvaine"Down and Out in the Great Depression" is a moving, revealing collection of letters by the forgotten men, women, and children who suffered through one of the greatest periods of hardship in American history. Sifting through some 15,000 letters from government and private sources, Robert McElvaine has culled nearly 200 communications that best show the problems, thoughts, and emotions of ordinary people during this time. Unlike views of Depression life "from the bottom up" that rely on recollections recorded several decades later, this book captures the daily anguish of people during the thirties. It puts the reader in direct contact with Depression victims, evoking a feeling of what it was like to live through this disaster. Following Franklin D. Roosevelt's inauguration, both the number of letters received by the White House and the percentage of them coming from the poor were unprecedented. The average number of daily communications jumped to between 5,000 and 8,000, a trend that continued throughout the Roosevelt administration. The White House staff for answering such letters--most of which were directed to FDR, Eleanor Roosevelt, or Harry Hopkins--quickly grew from one person to fifty. Mainly because of his radio talks, many felt they knew the president personally and could confide in him. They viewed the Roosevelts as parent figures, offering solace, help, and protection. Roosevelt himself valued the letters, perceiving them as a way to gauge public sentiment. The writers came from a number of different groups--middle-class people, blacks, rural residents, the elderly, and children. Their letters display emotional reactions to the Depression--despair, cynicism, and anger--and attitudes toward relief. In his extensive introduction, McElvaine sets the stage for the letters, discussing their significance and some of the themes that emerge from them. By preserving their original spelling, syntax, grammar, and capitalization, he conveys their full flavor. The Depression was far more than an economic collapse. It was the major personal event in the lives of tens of millions of Americans. McElvaine shows that, contrary to popular belief, many sufferers were not passive victims of history. Rather, he says, they were "also actors and, to an extent, playwrights, producers, and directors as well," taking an active role in trying to deal with their plight and solve their problems.