Great Depression-Era Books That Will Leave You Anything But Depressed

Sandwiched between two world wars, the hardships of the 1930’s seemed to be overshadowed by the bloodshed of combat and the trauma of home front life when looking from a historical perspective. Because of this, it’s often a neglected area of historical fiction, and those books that did tackle the period in years past rarely gained traction. The reason? At least in part, the problem with the era is in the name itself—the Great Depression was, well…depressing. Financial ruin, drought, mental health struggles, poverty: the 1930’s were rife with them, and writers (and readers) seemed reluctant to take the plunge. Recently, however, stories about the “Dirty Thirties” have slowly begun rising to prominence in the marketplace, bringing with them a fresh perspective on this unique and challenging period of history. But if you hate downers and are still leery of Great Depression books, take a look at these reads, which offer hope in spite of hardship and shed light on the trials of the time while still managing to be uplifting to the reader.