Challenging conventional history, economist Amity Shlaes offers a radical reinterpretation of the Great Depression, arguing that government mismanagement prolonged the suffering for millions. According to Shlaes, both Herbert Hoover and Franklin Delano Roosevelt played detrimental roles by raising taxes when Americans couldn’t afford it, and by suppressing the private sector with the creation of new government agencies. From 1929 to 1940, federal intervention actually helped to make the Depression Great by forgetting the men and women who were trying to help themselves. Through the stories of common people who struggled during the era, she reveals how the nation endured such grievous and unyielding times—and how they are at the root of America’s ultimate successes. Offering a new understanding of this crucial time, The Great Depression captures the hard-minded, unified character we developed as a nation—a character so strong that it got us through these dark years and left a lasting