The Forgotten Man

I've just about finished Amity Shlaes book, The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression. It's really an interesting, even fun, read -- which is saying something for such a, well, depressing subject.

The best thing about the book is its focus on why the Depression lasted so long. But another big positive with Shlaes' work is it pointing out that New Deal socialism didn't really begin with FDR -- it actually started with Herbert Hoover.

Shlaes' latest Bloomberg column discusses the mistakes of Hoover and today's politicians. Let's hope history doesn't always repeat itself. Or, to paraphrase Mark Twain, rhyme too much with the 1930s.

Comments

[Amity Shlaes]

Just a note to thank Controlled Greed for the comment! Hoover was a complex man. There's a bound-to-be-wonderful forthcoming volume that covers him in this period by George Nash.
Amity Shlaes

[John]

Well, you're very welcome, Ms. Shlaes. Thanks for reading, and thanks for the tip on Nash's upcoming book.