Description

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An enthralling slice of history with contemporary resonance, this unique account examines the most transformative year in American history -- when a battered nation would emerge from the Great Depression and reinvent itself under the skilled leadership of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

In one vitally significant year in American history, the country would experience turmoil, instability, natural disaster, bubbling political radicalism, and a rise of dangerous forces ushering in a new era of global conflict – and emerge both afresh and revitalized.  

At the start of 1932, the nation’s worst economic crisis has left one-in-four workers without a job, countless families facing eviction, banks shutting down as desperate depositors withdraw their savings, and growing social and political unrest from urban centers to the traditionally conservative rural heart of the country.

Amid this turmoil, a political decision looms that will determine the course of the nation. It is a choice between two men with very diferent visions of America: Incumbent Republican Herbert Hoover with his dogmatic embrace of small government and a largely unfettered free market, and New York’s Democratic Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his belief that the path out of the economic crisis requires government intervention in the economy and a national sense of shared purpose. 

Now veteran journalist Scott Martelle provides a gripping narrative retelling of that vitally significant year as  social and political systems struggled under the weight of the devastating Dust Bowl, economic woes, rising political protests, and growing demand for the repeal of Prohibition. That November, voters overwhelmingly rejected decades of Republican rule and backed Roosevelt and his promise to redefine the role of the federal government while putting the needs of the people ahead of the wishes of the wealthy.

Deftly told, this illuminating work spotlights parallel events from that pivotal year and brings to life figures who made headlines in their time but have been largly forgotten today. Ultimately, it is the story of a nation that, with the help of a leader determined to unite and inspire, took giant steps toward a new America.

About the Author

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Scott Martelle, a veteran journalist and former member of the Los Angeles Times editorial board, is the author of six previous nonfiction books. His journalism has included presidential campaigns; postwar Kosovo; a wide range of local and regional stories; book and music reviews; longform narrative nonfiction, and opinion pieces on such divisive topics as climate change, immigration, the death penalty, and gun control. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Sierra magazine, Los Angeles and Orange Coast magazines, and elsewhere.

Praise For…

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Praise for 1932

“A compelling account of a pivotal year in U.S. history. Veteran journalist Martelle, author of The Madman and the Assassin and Blood Passion, among other titles, provides a fine account of the run-up to “one of the most consequential elections in U.S. history.”  An expert portrait of a national turning point.” —Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW on 1932

“Martelle does a masterful job in 1932 of telling the story of the Hoover/Roosevelt face-off, fleshing out events with timelines, the personal diaries of ordinary citizens, and copious details about farms, industry, and generalized anger to illustrate just how split and destitute America was at the time.” —Washington Independent Review of Books

“Mr. Martelle recounts the… story of a nation mired in the Depression, the growth of the labor movement, and the rise of figures like Huey Long and Father Coughlan — not to mention less well-known figures like the leader of the Bonus Army of veterans demanding early redemption of their service bonus certificates, Walter Waters, and the head of the American Communist Party, William Z. Foster.” —New York Sun


Praise for Scott Martelle

“A fascinating biography…Mr. Martelle, an editorial writer for the Los Angeles Times, recounts Walker’s expedition in such meticulously researched detail.” —The Wall Street Journal on William Walker’s Wars
 
"An engaging, provocative introduction.” —Los Angeles Times on Detroit
 
“Scott Martelle has written a marvelous book that uncovers a little-known and dark corner of American history, when men like William Walker invaded sovereign countries to grab land and expand slavery.” —Frances Dinkelspiel, author of Towers of Gold and Tangled Vines on William Walker’s Wars
 
"Martelle presents a well-written and researched narrative, captivating in scope." —Booklist on William Walker’s Wars
 
“This mesmerizing cautionary tale is sure to fascinate armchair historians.” —Publishers Weekly on William Walker’s Wars
 
“A curious portrait of a celebrity nonentity caught up in the throes of history.” —Kirkus Reviews on The Madman and the Assassin
 
"History buffs will enjoy this fast-paced, well-told addition to the literature on Lincoln and the Civil War.” —Library Journal on The Madman and the Assassin
 
“A sympathetic, engaging, and authentic portrait of the soldier who killed one of America’s most famous assassins.” —James McGrath Morris, author, Pulitzer and The Rose Man of Sing Sing on The Madman and the Assassin
 
"A fascinating look at Boston Corbett, an eccentric who appears at one of the critical junctures in American history. Scott Martelle deftly brings Corbett’s nineteenth-century world back to life in his compelling tale of murder and madness.” —Julia Flynn Siler, author, The House of Mondavi and Lost Kingdom on The Madman and the Assassin
 
“Mr. Martelle has done an admirable job of researching Corbett’s life. Serious students of the Civil War may be happy to learn more about the obscure oddball who killed the assassin.” —The Wall Street Journal on The Madman and the Assassin