01/29/2018
Favreau, in his first book for children, explains Black Tuesday, the 1929 stock market crash, the Great Depression, and the steps the United States government took to try to help its citizens get back on their feet. This detailed yet uncomplicated overview is written in clear, concise language, and Favreau doesn’t shy from some of the more difficult subjects (“After the Crash, white southerners tried to push black people down even further”). He begins by recounting stories of how the stock market crash and subsequent economic depression affected real people—across different socioeconomic levels, ethnicities, genders, and geographical locations—giving readers an understanding of personal hardships and a glimpse into how economics works. He then details the rise of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the part his wife, Eleanor, played in creating jobs, as well as the role of WWII in the U.S. recovery. Making use of photographs, primary-source documents, and firsthand accounts, Favreau brings an important period of history to life. Ages 10–up. Agent: Tanya McKinnon, McKinnon McIntyre. (Apr.)
Praise for Crash:
A New York Public Library Best Book of 2018
A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2018
A 2018 Booklist Editors' Choice title
A 2019 Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People
An ALA Notable Children's Book of 2019
A Bank Street College Best Children's Book
"Crash does a great job of mixing personal stories with big-picture history, delivering a compelling narrative about the Great Depression—and about how Americans' reaction to it changed our country forever."—Steve Sheinkin, National Book Award Finalist and Newbery Honor author of Bomb and Most Dangerous
"In a forceful, fast-paced, and well-informed narrative, Marc Favreau lets readers experience-no, live!-the worst economic collapse in US history, introducing us to the individuals who suffered through and labored to overcome the financial and social upheaval that was the Great Depression and the remarkable visionaries who rallied a nation against fear, hatred, and divisiveness until a new and stronger America finally emerged. An impressive and important work."—Jim Murphy, two-time Newbery Honor- and Robert F. Sibert Award-winning author of An American Plague
* "Much like Steve Sheinkin did in Bomb, Favreau writes in a clear and relatable way...this story is far from a slow-moving history book. For readers who think of themselves as history buffs as well as those who just love a thought-provoking story, Crash will deliver on all levels."—VOYA (starred review)
* "Favreau gives readers incisive, penetrating, at times heartbreaking prose. A dynamic read deserving of a wide audience."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
* "An enlightening and very readable book on a complex historical period."—Booklist (starred review)
"Crash is smart, thorough, visually engaging—and incredibly relevant. It may be aimed at ages "10 and up" but I was riveted—I think people of any age who are interested in understanding American history, especially in order to understand where we are today, will be too. It's a clear, concise narrative that makes a complicated history accessible without dumbing down or glossing over the nuances of race, class, and gender."—Kate Schatz, NYT bestselling author of Rad American Women A-Z, Rad Women Worldwide, and Rad Girls Can
"A tale of heroes, villains, and redemption, Crash is the story we should all be reading—about a time when Americans were knocked down, dusted themselves off, and rebuilt a world that was safer and more secure."—Michael Eric Dyson, New York Times bestselling author of Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America
"Crash is a fantastic resource for young readers to understand the decade that defined America. Through portraits of American resilience-from families in the Dustbowl struggling to survive to President Roosevelt, fighting to restore hope and prosperity to an ailing nation—Marc Favreau tells the story of how our country overcame enormous adversity. This is a compelling portrait of our past that reminds us how we became the nation we are today."—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, D-CT Third District and author of The Least Among Us: Waging the Battle for the Vulnerable
"Crash is a terrific book, chock full of personal touches, details, and photographs that bring the people who lived through the Great Depression to life."—George O'Connor, New York Times bestselling author of the Olympians graphic novel series
"Marc Favreau's style keeps a mammoth story moving, hitting the major moments of historical importance while taking care to put lesser-known stories into the narrative."—Tanya Lee Stone, Robert F. Sibert Award-winning author of Courage Has No Color and Girl Rising
"If you want to understand your grandparents' world into which they were born, thus affecting the world into which you were born, READ THIS!"—Bill Moyers, Emmy and Peabody Award-winning broadcast journalist and bestselling author
"Favreau brings an important period of history to life." —Publishers Weekly
"...engaging and comprehensive...Favreau carefully crafts an enjoyable narrative that vibrantly depicts individual experiences, including little-known stories within the context of national trends."—School Library Journal
"Enhanced by photographs, personal interviews, and primary source documents, the story of one of the most unstable periods in American history conveys the highs and lows of everyday life during those difficult years. The message of the strength and resilience of the American people during this terrible time, and how it helped to shape the country we live in today, is well documented by the author in a reader-friendly style."—School Library Connection
"Favreau [makes] the complex story accessible to middle-school readers....an appealing way to present an introduction to the period."—BCCB
02/01/2018
Gr 7 Up—In this engaging and comprehensive look at the Great Depression, the text is divided into four sections addressing the crash of the economy, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal policies, setbacks to progress, and the eventual end of the Depression. Moving beyond the typical analysis of the time period, Favreau carefully crafts an enjoyable narrative that vibrantly depicts individual experiences, including little-known stories within the context of national trends. Not only is it enjoyable to read, it is also a powerful research source. Each chapter is rife with primary sources, such as telegrams, photographs, posters, song lyrics, speech transcripts, and more. (Besides the extensive primary source section, there is other comprehensive back matter.) While President Herbert Hoover often bears the blame for the Federal government's initial response to the financial crisis, the author provides a very balanced portrayal of his presidency. This same balance, however, does not extend as much to Roosevelt. There is a section on societal setbacks, but there is no opposing perspective provided in response to Roosevelt's expansion of executive power, his constitutional challenges, or his attempt to pack the courts. Still, this impressive resource would be valuable, when used in tandem with other resources, for students conducting research. VERDICT An insightful addition to libraries and recommended even for those with a robust collection on the topic.—Paige Rowse, Needham High School, MA
The stock market crash was only the beginning of America's descent into the Great Depression. This audiobook’s chapters detail its causes, remedies, and the people most responsible for both. Narrator Oliver Wyman's slow pacing and selective emphasis allow for easy listening of a story punctuated with contemporaneous quotes and headlines, including a powerful account of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. Listeners hear the patrician speech of FDR, the compassionate tones of Cabinet Secretary Frances Perkins, the accented English of migrant workers, and the diverse voices of a wide variety of troubled Americans, who illustrate the universality of misery during this period. Wyman authentically delivers the words of blacks targeted for lynching in Alabama, devastated West Virginia coal-mining families, Michigan UAW supporters, and impoverished Floridians working New Deal jobs. L.T. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
The stock market crash was only the beginning of America's descent into the Great Depression. This audiobook’s chapters detail its causes, remedies, and the people most responsible for both. Narrator Oliver Wyman's slow pacing and selective emphasis allow for easy listening of a story punctuated with contemporaneous quotes and headlines, including a powerful account of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. Listeners hear the patrician speech of FDR, the compassionate tones of Cabinet Secretary Frances Perkins, the accented English of migrant workers, and the diverse voices of a wide variety of troubled Americans, who illustrate the universality of misery during this period. Wyman authentically delivers the words of blacks targeted for lynching in Alabama, devastated West Virginia coal-mining families, Michigan UAW supporters, and impoverished Floridians working New Deal jobs. L.T. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
★ 2018-02-20
Spanning the 1930s, this narrative follows the downturn of the U.S. stock market—which pivoted the country into the Great Depression—and accounts for the leaders (women and men) and historic events that contributed to its crash. In his first book for young readers, Favreau constructs a mostly linear account, told in four parts. "Fall," the first section, sets the stage after the stock market crashed: poverty, hunger, soup lines, evictions, homelessness, and bank runs and closures. "Rise" begins with the entrance of Franklin D. Roosevelt. In an enlightening narration, Favreau does not waste time in swiveling the spotlight to Eleanor Roosevelt, who was FDR's closest confidante. He also takes care to profile some of the era's other notables, including Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins (who launched Social Security), union organizer John L. Lewis, and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune, the director of the Division of Negro Affairs of the National Youth Administration and leading member of the so-called "Black Cabinet." "Setback" recounts the Dust Bowl, and "Victory," takes the account to the beginning of World War II. Propelling readers through the decade, the book is liberally illustrated with archival material including newspaper clippings and photographs. Throughout, Favreau gives readers incisive, penetrating, at times heartbreaking prose.A dynamic read deserving of a wide audience. (source notes, bibliography, selected primary sources, timeline, glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 10-16)
