The last paragraph literally left a lump in my throat. I finished this book on a weeknight at 1:30 AM. Maybe Wood is right about history, but Shlaes work clearly shows that politics and human nature never change and that creates outcomes that are sadly predictable. The striking thing about The Forgotten Man is that, even though it was published over 18-years ago, the policies, decisions, economics, and social conditions it describes in the 1930s are mirror images of what’s happening today. But if you spend any time reading good history books, it’s impossible to not recognize that the emotions, desires, and ambitions that motivate mankind have gone largely unchanged for millennia. Gordon Wood has repeatedly said that, in spite of popular opinion, history does not repeat itself. She writes in a style that is pleasing to read, and at times, almost poetic. Amity Shlaes’ background as a distinguished economic historian at the Council of Foreign Relations and syndicated columnist for Bloomberg gives her insight that is often missing in other histories of the period. The Forgotten Man is considered by many to be a benchmark history of the Great Depression in America.
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