The Crash of 1929

School Library Journal

Gr 6-9-Aaseng imparts the culture and circumstances that led to the 1929 stock-market collapse, the nuts and bolts of what happened day by day, and the myriad and complicated aftershocks. Although the coverage is not extensive, it relates the crash to other world events before and after it, such as World War I and the rise of Nazism. The author generates interest by focusing on the human element, including the roles of men such as President Hoover and Richard Whitney, vice president of the New York Stock Exchange; the influence of John D. Rockefeller and John Maynard Keynes; and the effects upon such people as Groucho Marx, who lost his entire savings; and those who committed suicide rather than face life with vanished fortunes. The many direct quotes are helpful, relevant financial concepts are well explained, and the annotated bibliography is useful. While the black-and-white illustrations are not impressive and the design isn't very attractive, the book is a valuable purchase as it elaborates on paragraphs in textbooks and encyclopedias about a major historical event.-Andrew Medlar, Chicago Public Library, IL Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.