Bibliograph

A secret gift, how one man's kindness-- and a trove of letters-- revealed the hidden history of the Great Depression, Ted Gup

Type

Label

A secret gift, how one man's kindness-- and a trove of letters-- revealed the hidden history of the Great Depression, Ted Gup

Language

eng

resource.biographical

contains biographical information

Index

no index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

A secret gift

Oclc number

646308544

Responsibility statement

Ted Gup

Sub title

how one man's kindness-- and a trove of letters-- revealed the hidden history of the Great Depression

Summary

Shortly before Christmas 1933 in Depression-scarred Canton, Ohio, a newspaper ad offered 10 dollars to 75 families in distress. Interested readers were asked to submit letters describing their hardships to a benefactor calling himself Mr. B. Virdot. In actuality, he was Sam Stone, the author's grandfather. Ted Gup discovered the letters in a suitcase 75 years later and was so moved by the tales of suffering and expressions of hope that he set out to unveil the lives behind them. The author also unearthed deeply buried details about his grandfather's life, from his impoverished, abusive upbringing to his felonious efforts to hide his immigrant status from U.S. officials, that explain why he felt such a strong affinity to strangers in need

Target audience

adult

Classification