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The Great Depression: A Diary

The Great Depression: A Diary

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  • Create Date：2023-03-28 04:53:19
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
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  • Author：Benjamin Roth
  • ISBN：1586489011
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Summary

When the stock market crashed in 1929， Benjamin Roth was a young lawyer in Youngstown， Ohio。 After he began to grasp the magnitude of what had happened to American economic life， he decided to set down his impressions in his diary。This collection of those entries reveals another side of the Great Depression—one lived through by ordinary， middle-class Americans， who on a daily basis grappled with a swiftly changing economy coupled with anxiety about the unknown future。 Roth's depiction of life in time of widespread foreclosures， a schizophrenic stock market， political unrest and mass unemployment seem to speak directly to readers today。

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Reviews

Matt ，

History usually feels abstract。 It is hard to imagine how individual people lived and they usually aren't mentioned all that much。 This book is the antithesis to that。 This book makes you feel and understand how people lived through one of the darkest periods of American history。If this book has one takeaway， it is this: Life goes on。 History usually feels abstract。 It is hard to imagine how individual people lived and they usually aren't mentioned all that much。 This book is the antithesis to that。 This book makes you feel and understand how people lived through one of the darkest periods of American history。If this book has one takeaway， it is this: Life goes on。 。。。more

Zach Gedal ，

The author's diary-like approach to examining the situation has resulted in a vivid and engaging portrayal of the era。 A book for anyone seeking to understand the impact of the Great Depression on ordinary people。 A rare candid chronicle of its time。 The author's diary-like approach to examining the situation has resulted in a vivid and engaging portrayal of the era。 A book for anyone seeking to understand the impact of the Great Depression on ordinary people。 A rare candid chronicle of its time。 。。。more

Christopher Ward ，

Interesting recounting if diary entries by Roth from 1928 through 1941。Good to hear about machinations of securities markets during boom and bust times， and what to watch for。

Justin ，

Great book for those who like to invest。 Best on audio as it is written like a diary。

Kevin ，

An interesting journal of the Great Depression — recommended by the Sam Harris podcast。 Captures the slow， painfully unfolding ups and downs of the 10-year depression。It’s pretty dry， as Roth was not a writer。 The regular stock-ticker readings are happily behind me。 “Sheet and Tube…$4。30…”That being said， it’s an interesting sepia-tone portrait of how the depression affected middle class America and how FDR’s policies may have prolonged the depression， told from a quiet study in Ohio。

Folkert van den Berg ，

"We bid farewell to 1932 without regret and we welcome 1933 with a fervent prayer for better days。"Wat een geweldig stuk gedocumenteerde geschiedenis。 Dit dagboek is geschreven door Benjamin Roth en beslaat de tijdsperiode 1931 tot en met de aanval op Pearl Harbor in 1941。 Het dagboek richt zich volledig op de financiële context in die tijd。 Verwacht veel verhalen en analyses over de （aandelen）markt， werkloosheid， de impact hiervan en andere economische factoren。Het leuke aan het dagboek is dat "We bid farewell to 1932 without regret and we welcome 1933 with a fervent prayer for better days。"Wat een geweldig stuk gedocumenteerde geschiedenis。 Dit dagboek is geschreven door Benjamin Roth en beslaat de tijdsperiode 1931 tot en met de aanval op Pearl Harbor in 1941。 Het dagboek richt zich volledig op de financiële context in die tijd。 Verwacht veel verhalen en analyses over de （aandelen）markt， werkloosheid， de impact hiervan en andere economische factoren。Het leuke aan het dagboek is dat Benjamin Roth geen belegger was of direct werkzaam in de financiële sector。 Zijn oprechte interesse in de gebeurtenissen omtrent de beurscrash in 1929 heeft hem gemotiveerd om een financieel dagboek bij te houden。 Het toeschouwers-perspectief （gecombineerd met de intelligentie van de schrijver） levert een zeer interessant en leerzaam dagboek op。 Een aanrader voor eenieder wie geïnteresseerd is in deze tijdsperiode， zelf bezig is met beleggen of van plan is om te beginnen。 。。。more

Eli Norris ，

The great depression from a struggling lawyer's perspective living through it。 Quite interesting and Benjamin gives some valuable insight about economics。 The great depression from a struggling lawyer's perspective living through it。 Quite interesting and Benjamin gives some valuable insight about economics。 。。。more

Keven Wang ，

Finest piece of financial history

Nathan Ellenbecker ，

Easy way to learn about the Great Depression。 Little repetitive starting halfway through。 Always funny how many history lessons and topics repeat themselves。

Yifeng Yuan ，

What an incredibly valuable historical account of daily life in Youngstown Ohio during the Great Depression era。 Living through an inflation period right now （Nov 2022） and looking back， history does not repeat but rhymes。 Looking at the measures taken by the governments today， I cannot help marveling how similar they were to the actions taken by the Roosevelt administration！The depiction of the New Deal surprised me。 From history book， the New Deal was depicted in a very one sided way。 Mr。 Roth What an incredibly valuable historical account of daily life in Youngstown Ohio during the Great Depression era。 Living through an inflation period right now （Nov 2022） and looking back， history does not repeat but rhymes。 Looking at the measures taken by the governments today， I cannot help marveling how similar they were to the actions taken by the Roosevelt administration！The depiction of the New Deal surprised me。 From history book， the New Deal was depicted in a very one sided way。 Mr。 Roth gave nuances to that。There's also a bit mention of WW II， how it started slowly， from the lens of a young lawyer living in Youngstown Ohio。 。。。more

Drew Canole ，

A laymen goes through the great depression and gives his opinions on investing in a series of diary entries。 It's quite interesting to see the feelings during the great depression。 He eventually gives his take on what he should have done。。。 which is to time the market perfectly！ Obviously， its impossible to do so。 I think it's a good primer on why "stay calm and stick to the plan" is a good strategy。 A laymen goes through the great depression and gives his opinions on investing in a series of diary entries。 It's quite interesting to see the feelings during the great depression。 He eventually gives his take on what he should have done。。。 which is to time the market perfectly！ Obviously， its impossible to do so。 I think it's a good primer on why "stay calm and stick to the plan" is a good strategy。 。。。more

Michael Pittuck ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 God， I hated it。 I enjoyed the diarist’s shift from appearing politically quite neutral to being a commie-fearing Republican and also enjoyed the real-time commentary on WWII。 However， I found his entries tediously overly-repetitive and， tbh， struggled to bring myself to sympathise with the trodden lawyers and brokers。 I appreciate the writer has intentionally focused on a narrow subject matter but reading about how Fascism’s march across Europe， Japan’s strikes on Hawaii and US’s entering a wor God， I hated it。 I enjoyed the diarist’s shift from appearing politically quite neutral to being a commie-fearing Republican and also enjoyed the real-time commentary on WWII。 However， I found his entries tediously overly-repetitive and， tbh， struggled to bring myself to sympathise with the trodden lawyers and brokers。 I appreciate the writer has intentionally focused on a narrow subject matter but reading about how Fascism’s march across Europe， Japan’s strikes on Hawaii and US’s entering a world war represent a good time to buy stock beneath its ‘intrinsic value’ doesn’t sit right with me。 That’s a me problem however， as someone who despises the financial market。 It was easy to read and that’s why I saw it through to the the end。 Still don’t understand what a bond is， mind。 。。。more

Chris ，

Interesting book as it isn’t written after the fact， but a diary written in real time。 Key themes for me: 1） I wonder if the great depression could have been avoided merely by implementing the FDIC earlier？ Much of what he talked about involved people of lost their savings in the banks…many of which weren’t necessarily insolvent （though many were）， but were just illiquid， 2） just how hard the great depression was- he talked about the draft in 1940 and mentioned many men were rejected due to maln Interesting book as it isn’t written after the fact， but a diary written in real time。 Key themes for me: 1） I wonder if the great depression could have been avoided merely by implementing the FDIC earlier？ Much of what he talked about involved people of lost their savings in the banks…many of which weren’t necessarily insolvent （though many were）， but were just illiquid， 2） just how hard the great depression was- he talked about the draft in 1940 and mentioned many men were rejected due to malnourishment， 3） talked consistently of investors who were wiped out due to leverage。 。。。more

Pramodh Nanjayya ，

The first half of the book is absolutely high qualty。One of the best books about depression

Pratap Kodancha ，

Excellent picture of Great Depression days from a lawyers dairy。 Interestingly the lawyers observations with enthusiast investor mindset provides very delightful insights of common mistakes in investments。 Awesome reading that provides right recipes of investments via the absolute pictures of people’s activity， politics， geopolitics during the Great Depression era！

Amit ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The book is a selective reproduction of diary of Benjamin Roth， who decided to write or journal the happenings during the great depression， and successfully captured the rollercoaster ride， and the personal voes faced by Urban Modern America during "the Great Depression"。 Mr。 Roth， although was a layman on economy and market analysis and had political affiliations towards republicans， but his observations were methodical and unbiased upto major extent。 You simply see the investment and financial The book is a selective reproduction of diary of Benjamin Roth， who decided to write or journal the happenings during the great depression， and successfully captured the rollercoaster ride， and the personal voes faced by Urban Modern America during "the Great Depression"。 Mr。 Roth， although was a layman on economy and market analysis and had political affiliations towards republicans， but his observations were methodical and unbiased upto major extent。 You simply see the investment and financial wisdom grow， in his gradual diary writting。 His small but careful observations on bank closures， stock valuations， trade unions and impact on his profession（lawyer） makes this book， feel personal。 His market predictions and subsequent reality check comments， shows us his unbiased and scientific approach。 Various "riches to rags" anecdotes and subsequent financial learnings， which are now major investment principals like Value Investing & Dollar cost averaging， were thoroughly brainstormed by Mr。 B Roth in the book。 A great investment book。 。。。more

Rob Litterst ，

Was expecting more commentary on day to day life but it’s more focused on the personal finance aspect of the Great Depression。 Love the big takeaway — always keep some cash on hand to pounce when the market turns。

bjseward ，

3/5， interesting perspective but slow and repetitive; would've appreciated more editorial input 3/5， interesting perspective but slow and repetitive; would've appreciated more editorial input 。。。more

Joe Chieffo ，

I enjoyed this book a lot but felt it could have been much more。 I liked all the accounts of what was going on financially in the US but was hoping for more personal accounts of his family and day to day living。 He doesn't mention his wife and 3 boys until we'll per page 200。 I realize that the book was a journal， and not intended to be a thorough story told by the author but at times its quite repetitive。 Its a worthwhile read but there are better Depression era books out there。 I enjoyed this book a lot but felt it could have been much more。 I liked all the accounts of what was going on financially in the US but was hoping for more personal accounts of his family and day to day living。 He doesn't mention his wife and 3 boys until we'll per page 200。 I realize that the book was a journal， and not intended to be a thorough story told by the author but at times its quite repetitive。 Its a worthwhile read but there are better Depression era books out there。 。。。more

Darlene ，

When I found this book， I thought it would be a good addition to my U。S。 History shelf。 It survived the home library purge of 2022。 Wanting to read something a little more educational than another mystery novel this summer， I curled up with it today。 I couldn't put it down！！ We don't need to be told any tales from our esteemed leaders， we feel the crunch at the pump and in the grocery store， if we can find what we want at all。 This diary， by a lawyer from Ohio， details his personal experience as When I found this book， I thought it would be a good addition to my U。S。 History shelf。 It survived the home library purge of 2022。 Wanting to read something a little more educational than another mystery novel this summer， I curled up with it today。 I couldn't put it down！！ We don't need to be told any tales from our esteemed leaders， we feel the crunch at the pump and in the grocery store， if we can find what we want at all。 This diary， by a lawyer from Ohio， details his personal experience as he writes of the depression years and years between the wars。 He charts the repeat of actions that led to the market crash and has deep insights into how to weather the storm that are beneficial for readers currently。 Recession， depression， war， high interest rates， low pay for farmers and industry workers， college students unable to find or keep a job let alone a career， threat of foreclosure， etc。 For anyone wanting to know more about The New Deal， the Roosevelt years and Second World War， economics and the depression， I highly recommend this book。 Will be keeping this book for a future reread。 。。。more

Joe Allison ，

A revealing journal of Depression Era life， written by an Ohio attorney。 Gives the reader a new appreciation of the country's agonizing climb out of the economic chasm that defined the 1930s。 A revealing journal of Depression Era life， written by an Ohio attorney。 Gives the reader a new appreciation of the country's agonizing climb out of the economic chasm that defined the 1930s。 。。。more

Ryan Goodyear ，

5 stars not necessarily because it's a must-read， but as a thank-you to the author for taking the time。 I've really grown to appreciate the power of a thorough journal。 History books are filled with 'resulting' and are skewed by the known outcomes。 Reading a journal like this does a way better job of capturing how it actually felt to live through。 It includes all the things that one though would happen， but didn't actually happen。 Especially cool in this instance is how Roth goes back and annota 5 stars not necessarily because it's a must-read， but as a thank-you to the author for taking the time。 I've really grown to appreciate the power of a thorough journal。 History books are filled with 'resulting' and are skewed by the known outcomes。 Reading a journal like this does a way better job of capturing how it actually felt to live through。 It includes all the things that one though would happen， but didn't actually happen。 Especially cool in this instance is how Roth goes back and annotates his guesses with a "Yep， this was correct" or a "Nope， way off。" I think this is a very humbling experience for a person， and it leads to valuable personal growth。 I have kept an occasional journal since 2020 and a daily journal since 2022， and this reinforces my belief in the power of doing so。 This book really whet my historical appetite。 。。。more

Carlton Moore ，

Certain parts of this are fascinating。

Harry Harman ，

As he watches the market mostly plunge in the 1931-1932 period， he seems mostly to feel that stocks are a sucker’s game。 At the same time， he is tantalized by the prospect of bargain hunting among stocks— notably railroads and steelHow much debt is too much debt —for a household， a company， or a government？ What is the most secure way to guarantee return on an investment without exposure to excessive risk （whatever excessive risk is）？ How much can government prop up private enterprise without cr As he watches the market mostly plunge in the 1931-1932 period， he seems mostly to feel that stocks are a sucker’s game。 At the same time， he is tantalized by the prospect of bargain hunting among stocks— notably railroads and steelHow much debt is too much debt —for a household， a company， or a government？ What is the most secure way to guarantee return on an investment without exposure to excessive risk （whatever excessive risk is）？ How much can government prop up private enterprise without creating a moral hazard that hinders market dynamism？ Why can’t economies continue to expand at a steady， manageable pace without lapsing into destructive boom-and-bust cycles？Insurance for the unemployed and guaranteed Social Security income for the elderly and infirm are standard features of the American economy; without them， the impact of current recessions on individuals could easily be as bad as it was during the Depression。 On the federal policy level， the government guarantee of bank deposits up to a certain monetary amount makes panicky bank runs less likely and less damagingBanks will lend you an umbrella when the sun is shining and then demanding it back when it rains。I feel more and more convinced that the time to buy stocks has not yet arrived because the blue chip stocks have not yet come down even tho the depression is already two years old。There is simply no money in circulation。I talked to a very prominent real estate man today who developed one of the best residential plots in Youngstown but went broke with the coming of the depression because everything he had was heavily mortgaged and people stopped paying on the property they had bought。An interesting side light of the depression was that unemployed people became interested in small gambling games and the inventors of these games made considerable money。 People lost all confidence in the old virtues of saving。 They were willing to bet small amounts in the hope of getting large returns。I am forced to the conclusion that in prosperous times a man must be cautious and preserve his capital and be careful not to overexpand his business or to go too deeply in debt relying on a continuation of good business to pay the debt。 。。。more

Glen Quon ，

Great down to Earth book about the DepressionI liked the fact that this was largely about the lives of ordinary people and how they struggled through the Great Depression。

Dominic Mozel ，

A fantastic journal that gives a middle-class view of the day-to-day happenings during the great depression。- It seems that if another depression were to happen （high unemployment， crashing stocks， and low bank liquidity） then you would want to have no debt， a good chunk of cash on hand， and as little reliance on a paycheck as possible （assuming stocks are crashing you would need no reliance on stock sales for income as well）-it is interesting to see that even after the great depression people s A fantastic journal that gives a middle-class view of the day-to-day happenings during the great depression。- It seems that if another depression were to happen （high unemployment， crashing stocks， and low bank liquidity） then you would want to have no debt， a good chunk of cash on hand， and as little reliance on a paycheck as possible （assuming stocks are crashing you would need no reliance on stock sales for income as well）-it is interesting to see that even after the great depression people seem to completely forget how bad it was to be in debt and yet they jump right back into it when things start "booming" again in 1937。-An important point of emphasis should be the story of men who had a good amount of savings during the depression and tried to still turn it into even more money but ended up losing it all。 They later said they wished they settled for moderate returns and just protected the principal。 （This aligns with my money philosophy of not needing to hit a huge "home run" but rather just get on base consistently）- Supposedly FDIC & NCUA are there to protect the patrons balances and to avoid bank runs that happened during the great depression when people were worried that their bank would be the next to shutdown and bankrupt their savings。 This is all well and good but what would truly happens during tough times？ Is this a warning to not have TOO much in savings that could get wiped out of certain policies change？ It's possible that Savings with banks and Investments with brokers may never be 100% bulletproof。- ***If cash is king and banks limit withdrawals during depression-like times， does it make sense to keep physical cash ESPECIALLY while savings accounts are paying next to nothing？-"nobody seems to be able to figure out just why the market should go up except perhaps that it is being maneuvered for political purposes" （written while things are still pretty bad in Youngstown）-"Banks and Large Corporations will continue to fail in great crises but our ultimate faith must be in the government" （discussing why investing in government bonds is a good idea and why it is ok to focus on maintaining principal with a good reliable interest rate rather than getting too speculative with all stocks- a theory worth looking into） 。。。more

Robby Delvaux ，

One of the best books I’ve read in a while。 Written from journal account during the Great Depression。 Very interesting perspective of what was happening in real speed。 As the author was living it。 Which is crazy。 Interesting also Because the author was from Youngstown Ohio。 Very close to where I live。 So when he accounts of buildings being built or torn down。 Families mentioned。 And different landmarks。 It hits home。 Makes you wonder if the ebbs and flows of the Economy today; mirror some of the One of the best books I’ve read in a while。 Written from journal account during the Great Depression。 Very interesting perspective of what was happening in real speed。 As the author was living it。 Which is crazy。 Interesting also Because the author was from Youngstown Ohio。 Very close to where I live。 So when he accounts of buildings being built or torn down。 Families mentioned。 And different landmarks。 It hits home。 Makes you wonder if the ebbs and flows of the Economy today; mirror some of the things that happened before and even during the Great Depression？ 。。。more

Heikki Keskiväli ，

As a book， nothing spectacular。 But for investors and historians， fantastic way to understand better the era of Great Depression。

howtodowtle （AJD） ，

Hard to rate。 Quite insightful at times。 Often repetitive; this is understandable given that this is a largely unedited diary but a bit more editing would have made this more readable （fewer commentaries， more omission， and a longer timeframe covered）。 Very focused on national （US） economics， surprisingly little personal detail （which I found disappointing）; comments on international events were very interesting。I would recommend reading it， but to mostly skim through the entries。 That way， you Hard to rate。 Quite insightful at times。 Often repetitive; this is understandable given that this is a largely unedited diary but a bit more editing would have made this more readable （fewer commentaries， more omission， and a longer timeframe covered）。 Very focused on national （US） economics， surprisingly little personal detail （which I found disappointing）; comments on international events were very interesting。I would recommend reading it， but to mostly skim through the entries。 That way， you will automatically make note of the repeating themes。 。。。more

Kristin ，

This book was recommended by another author， whom my husband and I are reading， to understand financial aspects better。It is a compilation of a young lawyer's diary entries during the 1930's， as he worked toward his personal aspiration of knowing the stock market。 I hadn't realized that the New Deal actually didn't save America， or how the wars affect the economy so much， or the gold standard debate， before reading this。 It's dry， with few stories that bring the experiences during that time aliv This book was recommended by another author， whom my husband and I are reading， to understand financial aspects better。It is a compilation of a young lawyer's diary entries during the 1930's， as he worked toward his personal aspiration of knowing the stock market。 I hadn't realized that the New Deal actually didn't save America， or how the wars affect the economy so much， or the gold standard debate， before reading this。 It's dry， with few stories that bring the experiences during that time alive， but I do admire how he stuck with his goal， and how， really， things have been bad before and they got better then they got worse and then。。。better。 There's really nothing new under the sun， no matter how unique I feel my situation is。 。。。more

tpg0 ，

As an AI language model， I can provide a general review of the book "The Great Depression: A Diary" by Benjamin Roth。 The book is a memoir of Benjamin Roth， who lived through the Great Depression in the United States between 1929 and 1939。 He wrote a diary during this time， which later became the basis for this book。 Overall， the book provides a firsthand account of the social and economic struggles faced by Americans during the Great Depression。 Roth documents the various hardships he and his peers faced， from unemployment and financial ruin to political unrest and societal changes。 The personal stories and observations he shares offer valuable insights into what life was like during this difficult time in American history。 One noteworthy aspect of the book is Roth's writing style。 His diary entries are straightforward and honest， without embellishing or sugarcoating his experiences。 This lends authenticity and credibility to his account。 However， it is worth noting that the book reflects Roth's personal experiences and perspectives， and therefore may not provide a comprehensive view of the Great Depression as a whole。 Additionally， some readers may find the book's focus on personal anecdotes and observations to be less engaging than a more analytical account。 Overall， "The Great Depression: A Diary" is a valuable firsthand account of one person's experience during a pivotal period in American history。 However， readers should approach the book as a personal memoir rather than a comprehensive study of the Great Depression。

tpg1 ，

As an AI language model， I don't have personal opinions or emotions， but I can provide you with some details about the book "The Great Depression: A Diary。" The book is a compilation of diary entries of Benjamin Roth， legal counsel from Youngstown， Ohio， during the Great Depression era。 The diary spans from 1931 to 1941 and provides insights on personal and societal experiences of the time， giving readers an intimate and unfiltered perspective on the events that shaped the country's history。 The book is considered a valuable historical document that offers a unique perspective on one of the most significant economic crises in American history。

tpg2 ，

As an AI language model， I cannot provide a personal opinion on a book。 However， "The Great Depression: A Diary" by Benjamin Roth is a notable non-fiction book that provides an insightful firsthand account of life during the Great Depression in the United States。 Roth， a lawyer from Ohio， kept a diary of his experiences and observations from 1931 to 1941， chronicling the economic and social effects of the financial crisis on ordinary Americans。 The book offers a unique perspective on the era and is a valuable resource for anyone interested in understanding this pivotal period in American history。

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Reference

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