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fredcthulhu's review against another edition
4.0
An in depth look at the causes of the Depression and the subsequent successes and failures of the New Deal.
balletbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
Not having read the original Shlaes work of history, I decided to try out the GN edition to see if I could understand a non-fiction book without the benefit of all the words.
And it works. The author/illustrator chose to focus the period through the narrative of Wendell Wilkie, exec for a utilities company, who talks over the history of the Great Depression and it's economic impact with Irita van Doren, a literary editor and Wilkie's longtime companion. It "breaks the fourth wall" without actually breaking the fourth wall, which I liked. At times the narrative jumps around and gets disjointed, but that does emphasize how confusing and contradictory New Deal policies and their makers could be.
The art is really nice - all stark black and white for the history sections with interspersed sepia-toned modern-set (1940) sections. The style looks vintage, which suits the historical period. Have to call out a great rendering of Dorothea Lange's "Migrant Mother" photograph which is featured in the book.
And it works. The author/illustrator chose to focus the period through the narrative of Wendell Wilkie, exec for a utilities company, who talks over the history of the Great Depression and it's economic impact with Irita van Doren, a literary editor and Wilkie's longtime companion. It "breaks the fourth wall" without actually breaking the fourth wall, which I liked. At times the narrative jumps around and gets disjointed, but that does emphasize how confusing and contradictory New Deal policies and their makers could be.
The art is really nice - all stark black and white for the history sections with interspersed sepia-toned modern-set (1940) sections. The style looks vintage, which suits the historical period. Have to call out a great rendering of Dorothea Lange's "Migrant Mother" photograph which is featured in the book.
bryanzk's review against another edition
4.0
bit hard to understand, but do give me sth to think about. the new deal is always great in our history book, but the reality seems different. well, i guess most of the recent history in our (mainland china) history book has been twisted somehow
skybalon's review against another edition
4.0
An entertaining way to learn more about the history around the Great Depression. Probably not as thorough as the book upon which it is based, but certainly more informative than the average history most of us have received.
dlsmall's review against another edition
3.0
The art is solid, the point of view is very clear, but the consistent mustache-twirling or fervent mania of the assorted New Dealers is laid on a little bit thick. I'll give you some misguided, and I'll give you some deceptive, and I'll give you SOME villainy, but c'mon.
I love my Ayn Rand as much as the next guy or gal who loves Ayn Rand, but when I'm reading The Fountainhead or Atlas Shrugged, I know I'm reading fictional political commentary, not historical analysis.
I love my Ayn Rand as much as the next guy or gal who loves Ayn Rand, but when I'm reading The Fountainhead or Atlas Shrugged, I know I'm reading fictional political commentary, not historical analysis.
sizrobe's review against another edition
4.0
A graphic history of the Great Depression adapted from a book that's apparently somewhat famous for its conservative slant. Interesting to hear that side argued, but still somewhat dry.
kahale's review against another edition
3.0
Am economic history of the end of the Hoover Administration and the Roosevelt up to WWII. It follows the economic and political efforts of these administrations to fix the Depression.
el1zabe4h's review against another edition
4.0
Great idea! History in a graphic novel. Love anything that will engage non-readers (yikes~are there many out there?). This is great for all ages!
heyhawk's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to get the conservative take on the New Deal, having read HW Brand's FDR biography. This book did that admirably. While I may disagree with some of her conclusions, the book is mostly narrative and is enjoyable and informative. The only problem is that now Audible.com thinks I should read some Ann Coulter!
missjazzage's review against another edition
DNF, stopped 30 pages in.
Seemed a bit off when a panel of Ayn Rand arriving in NYC was depicted much like a young woman arrived in Hollywood with the dream to conquer the movies (and does).
Should have been wary of the “new history” bit in the title, but lesson learned.
Aside from that, I had trouble following along with the narrative. Seems that it’s too complex to be formatted as a graphic novel.
Seemed a bit off when a panel of Ayn Rand arriving in NYC was depicted much like a young woman arrived in Hollywood with the dream to conquer the movies (and does).
Should have been wary of the “new history” bit in the title, but lesson learned.
Aside from that, I had trouble following along with the narrative. Seems that it’s too complex to be formatted as a graphic novel.