Tag Archives: the Depression

Wish You Well – David Baldacci

David Baldacci is best known for his suspense novels, but in “Wish You Well,” he takes a departure from his normal genre and gives us a literary look into the heart and soul of the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia in the 1940’s. Louisa Mae Cardinal, who prefers to be called Lou, is the twelve-year-old daughter of Jack Cardinal, a celebrated novelist. She wants to be just like him and spends hours scribbling in her own notebook. But despite Jack’s fame, he doesn’t have the income to support his family, and wants to move to California to become a screen writer. … Continue reading →

Billy Creekmore – Tracey Porter

“Billy Creekmore” by Tracey Porter was an unexpected delight for me. The story of a young boy who was left at a cruel orphanage, I thought it would be depressing and gloomy. It did have depressing moments, but Billy’s spiritedness and determination to survive pulled it out of the gloom and made it remarkable. When Billy was born, he opened his eyes and gestured at the ceiling, saying, “There.” It shocked his midwife so much, she said he must be communing with spirits. His mother’s heart was weak to begin with, and she didn’t survive the birth, and his father … Continue reading →

The Journey of Natty Gann (1985)

I first saw “The Journey of Natty Gann” not long after its release and it made such an impact on me, I’ve never forgotten it. Natty (Meredith Salenger) is in her mid-teens, the only child of her parents, and for now, living on her own. Her mother passed away, and her father had to go west to find work. It’s the Depression, and work is scarce in Natty’s hometown of Chicago, so he went to Washington to work in the lumber industry. The job is hard and treacherous, but he knows no other way to support his daughter. Meanwhile, Natty’s … Continue reading →

Sounder (2003)

This Disney release is based on William H. Armstrong’s novel by the same name and takes place in the south during the Depression. Our main character is Boy, the oldest son of a family descended from slaves. Even though the Civil War has been over for a while, the racism and bigotry are as strong as ever, and it’s hard for this family to get a decent meal, let alone a large-enough house or a good job. Scrambling for every single thing they get, they make ends meet, somehow. One day, Boy’s father comes home with a hunting dog found … Continue reading →

I Remember Papa – Helen Ketteman

This nostalgic Depression-era book takes us back in time and reminds us of what it was like to have to make the choice of which of two needed items were the most needed. Audie is saving up his money for a baseball glove. Every weekend, he helps around the farm and earns a quarter, which he saves in a cigar box, dreaming of the day when that glove will be his. Sometimes he would listen to a baseball game on the radio with his father, and his father would always say, “Maybe someday we’ll go to a game.” But with … Continue reading →