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A review by juliemawesome
A Square Meal: A Culinary History of the Great Depression by Andrew Coe, Jane Ziegelman
4.0
The introduction was written simplistically and I was worried the whole book was like that. It felt like I was reading a children's book. Fortunately it did get better.
I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting this book to be, but it had a lot of social history in there. I learned about sharecroppers, breadlines, the declining hobo population, various women who had a formative effect on the country and its food, and the ongoing debate over whether, how, and how much to give people who are poor and starving.
There was a particular section where she was talking about single women and it made me see the early scenes of Victor/Victoria in a new light. Where she's literally fainting from hunger. And willing to defraud a restaurant with a cockroach. That does take place in the 1930s, albeit in Paris and not the US. I always saw that as rather silly (apart from the comedic elements of the cockroach) and perhaps over-dramatic. Guess it wasn't so much!
If Ziegelman wants to write a book about the 40s, 50s, etc, I'll read them. Looks like she has another book on a similar topic. I may check that one out.
I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting this book to be, but it had a lot of social history in there. I learned about sharecroppers, breadlines, the declining hobo population, various women who had a formative effect on the country and its food, and the ongoing debate over whether, how, and how much to give people who are poor and starving.
There was a particular section where she was talking about single women and it made me see the early scenes of Victor/Victoria in a new light. Where she's literally fainting from hunger. And willing to defraud a restaurant with a cockroach. That does take place in the 1930s, albeit in Paris and not the US. I always saw that as rather silly (apart from the comedic elements of the cockroach) and perhaps over-dramatic. Guess it wasn't so much!
If Ziegelman wants to write a book about the 40s, 50s, etc, I'll read them. Looks like she has another book on a similar topic. I may check that one out.