Ten Lost Years: 1929-1939: Memories of Canadians Who Survived the Depression

This should be required reading for all those who did not experience the Depression of the 1930s'. Hundreds of interviews of people who lived during those years, told in their own words

Just as the Dust Bowl and The Great Depression wreaked havoc in the USA in the 1920's and 30's, it brought incredible hardship to Canadians as well. This book gives us short, first-hand accounts of many of those who lived through that time. The author traveled across Canada 4 times with a tape recorder collecting these first-hand accounts back in the early 1970's. The stories are just amazing. And there are hundreds of them. Stories of those who buried their pride and went on the dole. Stories of others who steadfastly refused to do so, and suffered greatly. Stories of some who left the cities and went into the Canadian wilderness and built cabins or trapped animals. Stories of those who took to the rails. Perhaps because their identities were kept private, those interviewed here were brutally honest - describing crimes they committed or abuses they had to endure. I don't know how these people did it. One of my favorite stories in the book is that of a man who takes a young Indian wife and the two of them go to live in the woods. Against incredible odds, they do pretty well for themselves. But it ends in tragedy. No one knew the Great Depression better than those who lived through it. I don't know why this book hasn't been more widely read. Any student of history will find it fascinating. It is an historical treasure. Highly recommended.