In this unique recreation of one of the most dramatic periods in modern American history Studs Terkel recaptures the Great Depression of the 1930s in all its complexity. The book is a mosaic of memories from those who were richest to those who were most destitute politicians like James Farley and Raymond Moley businessmen like Bill Benton and Clement Stone a sixday bicycle racer artists and writers racketeers speakeasy operators strikers and impoverished farmers people who were just kids and those who remember losing a fortune. Hard Times is not only a gold mine of informationmuch of it little knownbut also a fascinating interplay of memory and fact showing how the Depression affected the lives of those who experienced it firsthand often transforming the most bitter memories into a surprising nostalgia.