While I did find the subject fascinating and the situations leading up to the great depression eerily similar to recent economic events, the dry narrative and over abundance of statistics made this a tough read. Not in terms of cognition- the author had a clear tone and, though some passages required analytical thinking, didn't write over the reader's head. As I was reading, I felt like at some point, the author should have chosen whether to write a textbook or to write a creative non-fiction piece, and tried instead to do both. I still enjoyed what I read, and I might come back to it someday, but I'll need more time and a lot more coffee. (less) One of the best books I ever read. One fo 2 books that helped make me the conservative Republican that I am today. That is no small accomplishment given what a long-haired, hippe, pinko commie I used to be! [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/\\... [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/\\... from Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929-1945 by David M. Kennedy[/url]