Reviews for Hope in Hard Times: New Deal Photographs of Montana, 1936-1942

The average rating for Hope in Hard Times: New Deal Photographs of Montana, 1936-1942 based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2019-11-21 00:00:00 Shaun Dunning I purchased this book as a text for an American History course at Montana State University, taught by Mary Murphy, the book's author. Funny how you enjoy "textbooks" more after the class is over and you have time to read for content. Hope in Hard Times is not only a gathering of photographs and stories that shed light on the experiences of Montana families and FDR's New Deal programs, although it certainly does that. It is also the story of the four gifted photographers who chronicled this period and their experiences dealing with the towns and farms, the curiosity, the search for hope and occasionally the hostility. There is great poignant beauty to the photos and strength in the prose. There was struggle, but little evidence of despair. All in all, a wonderful book.

Review # 2 was written on 2009-06-01 00:00:00 Romana Pourova This book was an amazing window into the lives of people in Eastern Montana who suffered through the drought of the depression, got beaten under, but survived again and again. The photographs are very telling and mostly taken by young people in their twenties! Very easy scanning with brief narratives.