≫ Download Free Christmas After All The Great Depression Diary of Minnie Swift Indianapolis Indiana 1932 Dear America Series Kathryn Lasky 9780439219433 Books

Christmas After All The Great Depression Diary of Minnie Swift Indianapolis Indiana 1932 Dear America Series Kathryn Lasky 9780439219433 Books

Download As PDF : Christmas After All The Great Depression Diary of Minnie Swift Indianapolis Indiana 1932 Dear America Series Kathryn Lasky 9780439219433 Books

Christmas After All The Great Depression Diary of Minnie Swift Indianapolis Indiana 1932 Dear America Series Kathryn Lasky 9780439219433 Books

I read this book around 11 years ago (I'm in my 20s) and always remembered certain parts of the book so much that I bought it for my current library. Minnie's sisters were always so memorable because they were so distinctly different which made reading about them interesting. The sister I always remembered was Lady who seemed to have the glamour of Jean Harlow with the natural talent of a costume designer. In real life maybe no one looked like Jean Harlow (though many sure did try!) but people were very resourceful back then and creative about making everything last. Recently while going out of town I brought this book to reread it now as an adult and enjoyed it for the most part. Minnie's relative from the Panhandle was unique.The POV in the diary was vivid enough to imagine the events in my mind but were brief enough to believe it could be the length of an actual entry of a young girl from the 1930s. Certain phrases describing the day to day events made me laugh too. Ozzie, the brother, did some funny things too and I enjoyed hearing about his workshop (even though Minnie says it's a closet) and appreciated his imagination.

However, there were certain times I was pulled out of the story when Minnie would reference something and state what it was, making it evident that the author was explaining something to a kid. This is to be expected since this series is intended for younger readers than myself who may not understand if this were written in a more true fashion where references weren't explained for their cultural context. The ending was too sugary for my taste because I felt it diffused the truth of the Depression. Being someone who has researched the 1930s for years for their own writing/artistic projects, I understand that people were affected by the Depression differently. But the ending was too fantasy for me and left me wondering why the author would want to explain parts of the history if she is going to end it in a way that clashes? The epilogue was unnecessary but could have been used better if the ending was different to give a sense of the characters overcoming the Depression. I just wanted an ending that mirrored the history for what it is was and not some bad dream you wave a wand over to make it go away. I noticed some people are referencing the suicide comments in the book (I agree suicide is serious and that was a difficult reality some families faced during the era..and the comments were meant to show Minnie's naivety to that) but I was surprised the author referenced, Freaks. I saw that film as a teen and have heard the film described as frightening and grotesque, depending on one's tastes. Personally I'm not into the genre it's placed in of horror, but for some younger children who won't understand the filmmaker's intent...it may be scary for them.

All in all, the setting and theme of this book is a hopeful one stressing the importance of family and faith during hard times. It's a good book but sadly downplays elements for the age group it's intended for. There's better historical fiction than this book, yes. If you're interested in what the decade was really like, there are plenty of nonfiction books and actual accounts online for you to read...which I highly recommend readers of any age who are new to learning about the Great Depression do to see that while people didn't have a fantasy like change of events, many were able to overcome their own challenges of the 1930s.


Tags : Christmas After All: The Great Depression Diary of Minnie Swift, Indianapolis, Indiana 1932 (Dear America Series) [Kathryn Lasky] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. In her fictionalized journal, eleven-year-old Minnie Swift recounts how her family dealt with the difficult times during the Depression and how the arrival of an orphan from Texas changed their lives in Indianapolis just before Christmas 1932.,Kathryn Lasky,Christmas After All: The Great Depression Diary of Minnie Swift, Indianapolis, Indiana 1932 (Dear America Series),Scholastic Inc.,0439219434,Historical - United States - 20th Century,USA,Depressions;1929;Fiction.,Depressions;1929;Juvenile fiction.,Family life;Indiana;Fiction.,1929,American history: from c 1900 -,Children's BooksAges 4-8 Fiction,Children: Grades 4-6,Depressions,Family life,Fiction,Historical - United States - General,Holidays & Celebrations - Christmas & Advent,Indiana,Inter-war period, 1918-1939,JUVENILE FICTION Historical General,Juvenile Fiction,Juvenile Fiction Historical United States 20th Century,Juvenile Historical Fiction,Social Issues - General,Social history

Christmas After All The Great Depression Diary of Minnie Swift Indianapolis Indiana 1932 Dear America Series Kathryn Lasky 9780439219433 Books Reviews

This brought back many memories of growing up and hearing about how this wonderful family coped with the Depression. Also, the Polish customs was very pleasurable to read.
This book was very fun to read. I even read it out loud to my boys, ages 6and 9. They loved it and couldn't wait to read it together every night.
Delightful book. Makes one take a trip down memory lane.
This wonderful book takes place in Indianapolis. I read it to my boys and girls in 4th grade for several years. I highly reccomend it for ages 8 and up.
Wonderful book. Loved it and read it in one day.
Used it for book club. Also was historic since it talked about Indianapolis where I live.
Historic and sweet!
I read this book around 11 years ago (I'm in my 20s) and always remembered certain parts of the book so much that I bought it for my current library. Minnie's sisters were always so memorable because they were so distinctly different which made reading about them interesting. The sister I always remembered was Lady who seemed to have the glamour of Jean Harlow with the natural talent of a costume designer. In real life maybe no one looked like Jean Harlow (though many sure did try!) but people were very resourceful back then and creative about making everything last. Recently while going out of town I brought this book to reread it now as an adult and enjoyed it for the most part. Minnie's relative from the Panhandle was unique.The POV in the diary was vivid enough to imagine the events in my mind but were brief enough to believe it could be the length of an actual entry of a young girl from the 1930s. Certain phrases describing the day to day events made me laugh too. Ozzie, the brother, did some funny things too and I enjoyed hearing about his workshop (even though Minnie says it's a closet) and appreciated his imagination.

However, there were certain times I was pulled out of the story when Minnie would reference something and state what it was, making it evident that the author was explaining something to a kid. This is to be expected since this series is intended for younger readers than myself who may not understand if this were written in a more true fashion where references weren't explained for their cultural context. The ending was too sugary for my taste because I felt it diffused the truth of the Depression. Being someone who has researched the 1930s for years for their own writing/artistic projects, I understand that people were affected by the Depression differently. But the ending was too fantasy for me and left me wondering why the author would want to explain parts of the history if she is going to end it in a way that clashes? The epilogue was unnecessary but could have been used better if the ending was different to give a sense of the characters overcoming the Depression. I just wanted an ending that mirrored the history for what it is was and not some bad dream you wave a wand over to make it go away. I noticed some people are referencing the suicide comments in the book (I agree suicide is serious and that was a difficult reality some families faced during the era..and the comments were meant to show Minnie's naivety to that) but I was surprised the author referenced, Freaks. I saw that film as a teen and have heard the film described as frightening and grotesque, depending on one's tastes. Personally I'm not into the genre it's placed in of horror, but for some younger children who won't understand the filmmaker's intent...it may be scary for them.

All in all, the setting and theme of this book is a hopeful one stressing the importance of family and faith during hard times. It's a good book but sadly downplays elements for the age group it's intended for. There's better historical fiction than this book, yes. If you're interested in what the decade was really like, there are plenty of nonfiction books and actual accounts online for you to read...which I highly recommend readers of any age who are new to learning about the Great Depression do to see that while people didn't have a fantasy like change of events, many were able to overcome their own challenges of the 1930s.