Archives of the Airwaves Vol. 5 Book

Each chapter is a small snapshot of the times in the 1930's, the different pockets of America from Basie's Blues band to President Franklin's Fireside chats and Eleanor's articles to Langston Hughes' poetry. A glimpse of life in the late 1930's. I never read more than a few chapters at a time, however, because the sporadic pace left me feeling like someone kept switching the radio dial on me. Still, Orgill's writing is stellar, giving us excellent sensory descriptions. I underlined many passages. I really like the black & white photos scattered throughout the book.

Here's a quote by President Franklin Roosevelt about his Fireside chats that stood out: "I never forget that I live in a house owned by all the American people and that I have been given their trust...And constantly I seek to look beyond the doors of the White House, beyond the officaldom of the National Capital, into the hopes and fears of men and women in their homes..."