A Secret Gift, Ted Gup
A Secret Gift, Ted Gup
3 Rating(s)
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A Secret Gift
How One Man's Kindness--and a Trove of Letters--Revealed the Hidden History of the Great Depression

Author: Ted Gup

Narrator: Mark Deakins

Unabridged: 10 hr

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/09/2010

Synopsis

Shortly before Christmas 1933 in Depression-scarred Canton, Ohio, a small newspaper ad offered cash gifts to seventy-five families in distress. Readers were asked to send letters describing their hardships to a benefactor calling himself Mr. B. Virdot. The author’s grandfather, Sam Stone, was inspired to place this ad and help his fellow Cantonians as they prepared for the cruelest Christmas most of them would ever endure.

Moved by the stories of suffering and hope in the letters, which he discovered in a suitcase seventy-five years later, Ted Gup first set out to unveil the lives behind them, searching for records and relatives to flesh out the family sagas hinted at in those letters. From these sources, Gup has re-created the impact that B. Virdot’s gift had on each family.

But as he uncovered the suffering and triumphs of dozens of strangers, Gup also learned that Sam Stone was far more complex than the lovable-retiree persona he’d always shown his grandson. Gup solves a singular family mystery even as he pulls away the veil of eight decades that separate us from the hardships that united America during the Depression.

About The Author

Ted Gup is the author of the bestseller The Book of Honor and Nation of Secrets. A former investigative reporter for The Washington Post and Time magazine, he has also written for the New York Times, Newsweek, GQ, Slate, and Salon.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Trish

I am not sure where I first heard the name Ted Gup. It could have been a Goodreads friend, or it could have been an article by that author written more recently. When I investigated his name more closely, I discovered he’d written a book, this book, in 2010 about discovering a suitcase of letters in......more

Goodreads review by Laurie

I love reading a book that makes you stop and think about your life and your mindset and your blessings. I couldn't stop reading this book, because it was so compelling, so fascinating, to get an intimate look into people's personal stories of life during the Great Depression. That period has always......more

Goodreads review by Rachel

Beautifully researched stories about the Great Depression. Will make you appreciate every meal, piece of clothing, paid utility bill, and all the creature comforts. Which is really how it should be. Ted Gup is to be applauded. He has done a wonderful thing bringing his grandfather's story to light.......more

Goodreads review by MD

I read this book because I was born in Canton and grew up there and in nearby North Canton; and because I like reading about historical events and times. I had hoped to find a window into the Depression-era Canton my father and his family lived in through these letters. I was also intrigued to find......more

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