Declare Appertaining To Books A Secret Gift: How One Man's Kindness & a Trove of Letters Revealed the Hidden History of the Great Depression
| Title | : | A Secret Gift: How One Man's Kindness & a Trove of Letters Revealed the Hidden History of the Great Depression |
| Author | : | Ted Gup |
| Book Format | : | Hardcover |
| Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 384 pages |
| Published | : | October 28th 2010 by Penguin Press (first published 2010) |
| Categories | : | Nonfiction. History. Biography. Autobiography. Memoir. Historical |
Ted Gup
Hardcover | Pages: 384 pages Rating: 3.58 | 2454 Users | 600 Reviews
Narration In Favor Of Books A Secret Gift: How One Man's Kindness & a Trove of Letters Revealed the Hidden History of the Great Depression
An inspiring account of America at its worst-and Americans at their best-woven from the stories of Depression-era families who were helped by gifts from the author's generous and secretive grandfather. Shortly before Christmas 1933 in Depression-scarred Canton, Ohio, a small newspaper ad offered $10, no strings attached, to 75 families in distress. Interested readers were asked to submit letters describing their hardships to a benefactor calling himself Mr. B. Virdot. The author's grandfather Sam Stone was inspired to place this ad and assist his fellow Cantonians as they prepared for the cruelest Christmas most of them would ever witness. Moved by the tales of suffering and expressions of hope contained in the letters, which he discovered in a suitcase 75 years later, Ted Gup initially set out to unveil the lives behind them, searching for records and relatives all over the country who could help him flesh out the family sagas hinted at in those letters. From these sources, Gup has re-created the impact that Mr B. Virdot's gift had on each family. Many people yearned for bread, coal, or other necessities, but many others received money from B. Virdot for more fanciful items-a toy horse, say, or a set of encyclopedias. As Gup's investigations revealed, all these things had the power to turn people's lives around- even to save them. But as he uncovered the suffering and triumphs of dozens of strangers, Gup also learned that Sam Stone was far more complex than the lovable- retiree persona he'd always shown his grandson. Gup unearths deeply buried details about Sam's life-from his impoverished, abusive upbringing to felonious efforts to hide his immigrant origins from U.S. officials-that help explain why he felt such a strong affinity to strangers in need. Drawing on his unique find and his award-winning reportorial gifts, Ted Gup solves a singular family mystery even while he pulls away the veil of eight decades that separate us from the hardships that united America during the Depression. In A Secret Gift, he weaves these revelations seamlessly into a tapestry of Depression-era America, which will fascinate and inspire in equal measure. Watch a VideoParticularize Books In Pursuance Of A Secret Gift: How One Man's Kindness & a Trove of Letters Revealed the Hidden History of the Great Depression
| ISBN: | 1594202702 (ISBN13: 9781594202704) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Literary Awards: | Ohioana Book Award for Nonfiction (2011) |
Rating Appertaining To Books A Secret Gift: How One Man's Kindness & a Trove of Letters Revealed the Hidden History of the Great Depression
Ratings: 3.58 From 2454 Users | 600 ReviewsWrite-Up Appertaining To Books A Secret Gift: How One Man's Kindness & a Trove of Letters Revealed the Hidden History of the Great Depression
This book serves as a biography of a town, a time, and a man. The town is Dayton, OH; the time is The Great Depression, more specifically Christmas 1933; and the man, known variously as Mr. B. Virdot, Sam Stone, Sam Finkelstein, and Sambo. However, the book transcends all of that and encompasses shared lives of hard times, secrets, generosity, and resilience. It is difficult to read the letters contained within this book and not be changed by the accounts of abject poverty, tragedy,I wanted to love this book! The premise was unique and inspiring. I sympathized with the author's uncovering of his grandfather's background, and the discovery of his charitable gift. However, I soon realized the book was too disjointed to allow the stories to shine through. I recognized he wanted to weave the stories of those struggling with the Great Depression's hardships along with his grandfather's background and secrets, but it was not done well. The chapter segues were awkward, and he
A Secret Gift by Ted Gup is the non-fiction account of how one man placed an ad in the newspaper during the depression for those in need, ultimately giving $5 (about $100 in today's terms) to 150 families to help them have a Merry Christmas. The book begins with an ad placed in December 1933, but manages to capture so much more than just a single Christmas, in A Secret Gift Gup manages to capture the entire spirit of the depression, and how in the midst of a time where families were starving and
I read this book because I was born in Canton and grew up there and in nearby North Canton; and because I like reading about historical events and times. I had hoped to find a window into the Depression-era Canton my father and his family lived in through these letters. I was also intrigued to find out what the "hidden" history was.I learned a few things about Canton that I didn't know, but not much new about the Depression - certainly nothing that qualified as a hidden history. Aside from the
Disappointing. The book ended up being very repetitive. There was always a risk of that because of the content, but a more skillful narrator could have helped that. Instead it feels overlong, like where it really would have been perfect is as a New Yorker article.However, the main disappointment was that I thought it would be more inspiring, whereas really there was a lot that wasn't. Yes, many lives were brightened momentarily by the $5 gifts, but there was still a lot of irreparable damage
Interesting stories, during an interesting time in a place close to home, but I guess I found it too long and never did finish it. Still, you can tell it took a lot of time and effort to locate these families and write their stories. Great historical book.
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