The Little Girl Who Fought the Great Depression

Shirley Temple and 1930s America

By: John F. Kasson

Narrated by: Kathleen Godwin

How the smile and fortitude of a child actress revived a nation.

Her image appeared in periodicals and advertisements roughly twenty times daily; she rivaled FDR and Edward VIII as the most photographed person in the world. Her portrait brightened the homes of countless admirers: From a Black laborer’s cabin in South Carolina and young Andy Warhol’s house in Pittsburgh to FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover’s recreation room in Washington, DC, and gangster “Bumpy” Johnson’s Harlem apartment. A few years later her smile cheered the secret bedchamber of Anne Frank in Amsterdam as young Anne hid from the Nazis.

For four consecutive years Shirley Temple was the world’s box-office champion, a record never equaled. By early 1935 her mail was reported as four thousand letters a week, and hers was the second-most popular girl’s name in the country.

What distinguished Shirley Temple from every other Hollywood star of the period - and everyone since - was how brilliantly she shone. Amid the deprivation and despair of the Great Depression, Shirley Temple radiated optimism and plucky good cheer that lifted the spirits of millions and shaped their collective character for generations to come. Distinguished cultural historian John F. Kasson shows how the most famous, adored, imitated, and commodified child in the world astonished movie goers, created a new international culture of celebrity, and revolutionized the role of children as consumers.

Tap-dancing across racial boundaries with Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, foiling villains, and mending the hearts and troubles of the deserving, Shirley Temple personified the hopes and dreams of Americans. To do so, she worked virtually every day of her childhood, transforming her own family as well as the lives of her fans.

©2014 John F. Kasson (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Great narration, great book

This narrator was so comforting. No better demeanor or tone for this kind of biography about old Hollywood and it's golden child Shirley Temple. I must also emphasize how very surprised I was to hear the negative reviews from critics at the time her movies were released. Being that I was a Shirley fan quite excessively as a kid, I assumed everyone universally loved her films, so that was a shock for me! Great book, thank you.

How does this child star fit in with her times?

During the Depression, people wanted escapist fare at the movies. The Shirley Temple pictures all were carefully crafted to deliver this. Director Zanuck did not want to change the formula for Shirley, the "fad." For the audience to accept her and the films, however, they had to believe that off-screen, young Shirley was not being exploited, and that she was as sweet as America's darling was on-screen. Kasson, an academic, is nevertheless entertaining in showing justvhow genuine and yet cynical this phenomena was, and what it said about America in the 30s. Godwin's narration was clear and well-inflected and emoted. Worth the listen.

Much more than just a bio.

Where does The Little Girl Who Fought the Great Depression rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top ten and my library is extensive.

What did you like best about this story?

It's breadth. It covers so much more than just the life a a child star

Which scene was your favorite?

How Shirley Temple changed consumerism....among other things.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. Much too long and complex.

Entertaining and Informative

I enjoyed the juxtaposition of depression era history, Hollywood lore and the story of Shirley Temple's meteoric rise - and fall - during the same period. The narrator has a pleasant delivery; the author's narrative is easy to follow. This is worth the listen if you enjoy history, gossip about early Hollywood and are old enough to remember watching Shirley Temple's movies.

Great sociology

More informative and enjoyable from a sociological perspective than biographical one. Let every parent who thinks their child could be a star read this book.

repetitive

I felt as it is could have been summed up more succinctly. there was a lot of history and context that seemed to be repeated.

Already bored

Is this a book about Hoover or Shirley Temple? Lost me in chapter 2.

shirley temple is not the focus

her name is used only to suck you in to buying a vague history of the 30's. I learned more about J Edgar Hoover than Shirley.

Not What I Expected--Academic, Not Entertaining

I had hoped to hear a more personal story about Shirley Temple. Instead, this is a cold recounting of Hollywood cinema in the 1930s with mention of Shirley, other actors, the social climate, and endless Temple movieline recaps. I was bored and disappointed overall and learned nothing new of any great import-- I've seen all the movies, I didn't need to hear about them all over again in detail.