New Books on My Shelf: February/March 2025, Part 2

 

About two months ago, I stumbled upon a podcast called The People’s Recorder, hosted by public historian, actor, and nephew of Alex Haley, Chris Haley. Through contemporary conversations and original audio from the thousands of interviews conducted by the Federal Writers Project during the Great Depression, the podcast takes deep dives into fascinating stories from regions and communities across the U.S. at a pivotal moment in the nation’s history. The first few episodes lit a spark in me – or perhaps re-lit, as I’ve definitely been fascinated by this era and its sources before, have even found a related interview of one of my family members! - and I headed (back) into the rabbit hole. And, of course, the deeper I went, the more money left my pockets, because, of course, I bought some books! Here’s what I got:

 Black Protest and the Great Migration: A Brief History with Documents, by Eric Arnesen

I just said this list is about the Great Depression, and here I am posting about the First Great Migration! I know. I was actually inspired to buy this book because of a one-two punch of watching a documentary and then stumbling upon the book while wandering a used bookstore (looking for books about the Great Depression). The documentary was the new Henry Louis Gates, Jr. series, Great Migrations: A People on the Move, which recently aired on PBS. It’s another topic I’ve long been interested in, because you can see the evidence of the Great Migration all across my family tree – I’ve written about it here and here and here, for example. But though I’ve read/watched/listened to a number of things on the topic, they were almost all secondary sources. This book contains a variety of primary sources, actual documents from the 1910s that explore both the opportunities and challenges of the moment. I’ll probably dip in and out of it, but I’m excited to read and see what other directions the documents will inspire me want to go in.

 

 Chicago and Suburbs 1939, by the WPA Federal Writers’ Project

During the Great Depression, several of my collateral ancestors were living in Chicago, having moved north during the first part of the Great Migration. Sydney Borden Scott, a doctor and postal worker, was one; his brother, waiter John William Scott, was another. What were their lives like in the city over time? I’m hoping this book, one of the city guides researched and written by authors of the Federal Writers’ Project, will give me one answer to that question. It features neighborhood, business, and organization descriptions (including some churches, libraries, and schools), walking tours, photographs, and even maps, to help readers get a sense of the city and its surrounding areas. I’ve already taken one quick look in, focusing on mentions of African American neighborhoods, and when I’m ready to circle back to writing about these brothers, I’ll dig in for a deeper read.

 

 

Confronting Southern Poverty in the Great Depressions: The Report on Economic Conditions of the South with Related Documents, ed. by David L. Carlton and Peter A. Coclanis

I didn’t go looking for this book, but rather came across it in the same used bookstore that resulted in the book purchase above. I’m glad I found it. Take this quote from the preface:

As longtime students of southern economic (under)development, we were struck by the comprehensive manner in which the Report catalogued the deficiencies of southern life, not on an abstract theoretical level but in the most human terms. Moreover, we believed that republishing the Report with commentary and supporting materials illustrating the economic, political, and intellectual milieux in which it was embedded could serve a broad range of purposes.

If you’re a historian, you can see why I’d want to read this, even with the clear judgement embedded in that “deficiencies” line. And, apparently, there was some drama around this report when it was published (“controversy,” they called it). In interested in learning more, all around, and thinking about what it meant for my family in Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina.

 

The Federal Writers’ Project: A Bibliography, by Jeutonne P. Brewer

As I was poking around in Federal Writers Project resources, I kept coming across something frustrating: mentions of the over a hundred books published by the FWP over the course of its existence, but not list or link to a list of those publications! And then, somehow, I found this: a bibliography not just of books published by the FWP, but also a bibliography of books and articles about the FWP, as of 1994. Score! So, I bought it. And, yes, I’ve already sticky-noted a bunch of pages for things I want or need to read. It really is a fascinating list, and includes curated collections of stories and recollections from interviews with formerly enslaved people from across the country. (Full interviews are available on the Library of Congress website, as Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers’ Project, 1936-1938.)

 

 The Great Depression: America in the 1930s, by T.H. Watkins

This is yet another used bookstore find, and a happy one at that, because it turns out that it’s the companion book to a public television docu-series. Now I’ll have to try to find that and watch it! In any case, I bought this book because it sounds like a great primer read, a good overview and one that’ll point me towards other resources. It’s also got lot’s of pictures, which I know I’ll appreciate having the chance to look at (and then look at the image credits to see where they came from!).

 

 Listen to Me Good: The Life Story of an Alabama Midwife, by Margaret Charles Smith and Linda Janet Holmes

If you’ve known me for a while, you’ll know that I wrote my undergraduate thesis on African American midwives, a topic I was lucky to get to dig into as I interned at the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum, working on a similarly-themed exhibit called "Reclaiming Midwives: Pillars of Community Support." It’s a topic that I’ve continued to have an interest in, though it’s mostly lived in the back of my mind. But between intersections at work and in genealogical research, it’s started to push its way forward again. I remember encountering this book during my exhibit and thesis research, but I’d never purchased a copy. But now, as a person with clear Alabama ancestry, including some folks whose birth records indicate they were delivered by midwives, I’m interested in really learning more about what that may have looked like through the midwives’ eyes. I haven’t yet started to (re)read this with a more focused eye, but I’m looking forward to it.

 

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So, that’s what’s new on my bookshelf from February and March 2025! What’s new on YOUR bookshelf this season? Or, what’s on your TBR and slowly making it’s way to the top? Share in the comments below!