This reference for general readers and students in high school and up gives voice to American men, women, and children from a range of economic classes and ethnic backgrounds during the Great Depression. Some areas explored are coming of age in the 1930s, medicine and the family, scripts of racial segregation in New Deal America, American technology in the 1930s, and the conflict between social scientists and policymakers responding to the crisis. A section of about 20 pages of one- to two-page excerpts from primary source documents details the experiences of everyday Americans through excerpts from news articles, diaries, letters, and b&w historical photographs. A glossary of terms, key figures and events, and concepts is included. Topics in the series are selected to fit curricular standards for both high school history classes and undergraduate American history courses. An emphasis on social history brings historical analysis into the classroom, while still focusing on topics that will engage students. Cravens is Professor of History at Iowa State University Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)