Review by Choice Review
This book is part of the "Why X Matters" series from Yale University Press, which explores why a particular historical event or idea continues to be important. Rauchway (Univ. of California, Davis) argues for the continuing importance of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal in five chapters and a conclusion; each chapter opens with a location related to individual aspects of the program. The first chapter, "Arlington National Cemetery," leads to a discussion of the Bonus Army and deprivations caused by the Great Depression, and to an iteration of Rauchway's primary point: the New Deal proved that American democracy, even though limited and flawed, is worth preserving. Additional chapters focus on "The Clinch River" and the Tennessee Valley Authority's transformation of an underdeveloped, poor section of the country; "Window Rock" and how the New Deal impacted Native Americans in the Southwest; and "Hunter's Point," which relates how the New Deal changed that area in San Francisco in ways that especially affected African Americans. The last chapter, "The Street Where You Live," focuses on local communities and shows how New Deal legacies surround readers today, even when they are unaware of them. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers through faculty; professionals. --Jerry Purvis Sanson, formerly, Louisiana State University at Alexandria
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
