A Secret Gift: How One Man's Kindness & A Trove Of Letters Revealed The Hidden History Of The Great Depression (2010) - Plot & Excerpts
My great-grandfather, like the author's grandfather, came with his parents and siblings from Europe and settled in Pittsburgh. He also, like Sam Stone, then settled in Canton, Ohio.My mother grew up in Canton, and we visited my grandparents and other relatives there throughout my childhood. The street names, churches, local employers, schools, that Gup talks about--many are known to me, either through stories or direct experience.When I read about Ted Gup's book I was interested: did any of my ancestors write letters to Sam Stone?"A Secret Gift" revealed a lot to me about my mother's family history. I would maybe have thought of Pittsburgh as a destination for immigrants...but Canton, Ohio? a hotbed or organized crime and vice? Perhaps that explains my grandmother's strong aversion to sinful activities. And though I knew her father was an immigrant, I never considered that the Canton he moved to was full of others like himself, a place to reinvent the future, forget, perhaps, the past.Gup's book gives a visceral feel to the suffering of the Great Depression. Like many of those who wrote anonymously to Sam Stone, most people had a deep distaste for taking charity or government aid. They could and would give to others if they were able, but felt profound failure at needing help themselves. I saw and see that in my own family, even to my own generation. Our culture has little concept of the community that comes from reciprocity.And these people were in dire need. No work to be had, constant movement due to lost homes and unpaid rent, no food or medical care for growing families, no shoes even for children to attend school, no heat in the cold Ohio winter. Many put their children in orphanages so they would at least have food and shelter. And those who managed to stay afloat--farmers, medical workers, landlords, shop owners like Sam Stone--helped others, sometimes depleting their own resources in the process.Gup's grandfather placed an anonymous advertisement in the newspaper right before Christmas in 1933. Write, he said, tell me about your situation, and I will send a cash gift to 75 families in need. No one will know: you--and I--will remain anonymous.Many swallowed their pride and did write. Sam Stone did his part, and sent the much-needed gifts. By doing so he gave hope, a light in the darkness of winter that year.And he saved the letters. Ted Gup, his grandson, a journalist, inherited them. In researching and telling the stories of some of the letter writers and their descendants, Gup has given substance to the journey of our nation out of The Depression and reveals the many places we are right now as a result.He also discovers the secret of his grandfather's own American story, illuminating the complexity of every immigrant's journey, so important to consider as our government tries to legislate a path for immigration in the 2000's.No, I did not find my family in the letters. But 3 surnames are related by marriage--so I'm sure some connection is there. But then the connection is there even without a letter, for all who are descended from immigrants, whose families lived through The Depression, whose cities are losing jobs even today to corporate entities who have little connection to or investment in the community or the workers they employ, discarding both easily and often. An article only last week in the NY Times spoke about fears of a possible corporate takeover at Timken, a long-time locally owned manufacturer in Canton. Will they close as Hoover did? Will they move to cheaper labor overseas? There are so few of these jobs available as it is....And so it goes. I had such hopes for this book--non-fiction history through the eyes of individuals who lived it? Great!In reality, this book seemed kind of a dud to me. Gup seems self-congratulatory, throwing around his career as an "investigative journalist" and assumes the reader is impressed by everything that would represent. Also, he seems to impose motivations and feelings onto his grandfather's story that may or may not be justified. He did not come across as an objective observer. Also, the writing itself felt repetitive and declarative, hammering home a few key points over and over again yet not being descriptive enough to really make the reader feel like they were there. The most poignant parts were the letters from 1933, something Gup had no part in writing. Overall, what felt like a promising premise fell flat for me. Maybe could have been an interesting article/essay, but was not enough for an entire book.
What do You think about A Secret Gift: How One Man's Kindness & A Trove Of Letters Revealed The Hidden History Of The Great Depression (2010)?
Enjoyed the writing style and the in depth presentation of life in Depression Era in Canton, Ohio
—mixi
It was nice to read this at the holiday time, could of been shorter.
—Ann
This is the December 2013 Book Discussion book.
—Teenah6310
