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

Ten Lost Years, 1929-1939: Memories of the Canadians Who Survived the Depression by Broadfoot, Barry. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780771016523.

Hundreds of ordinary Canadians tell their own stories in this book. They tell them in their own words, and the impact is astonishing. As page after page of unforgettable stories rolls by, it is easy to see why this book sold 300,000 copies and why a successful stage play that ran for years was based on them. The stories, and the 52 accompanying photographs, tell of an extraordinary time. One tells how a greedy Maritime landlord ho tried to raise a widows rent was tarred and gravelled; another how rape by the boss was part of a waitresss job. Other stories show Saskatchewan families watching their farms turn into deserts and walking away from them; or freight-trains black with hoboes clinging to them, criss-crossing the country in search of work; or a man stealing a wreath for his own wifes funeral. Throughout this portrait of the era before Canada had a social safety net, there are amazing stories of what Time magazine called "human tragedy and moral triumph during the hardest of times." In the end, this is an inspiring, uplifting book about bravery, one you will not forget.