After the 1929 stock market crash, Franklin Delano Roosevelt launched his "New Deal" in an effort to pull the country out of depression. The actual elements of the New Deal were complex and I had honestly never understood them until this book came along. Tonya Bolden sorts out the complicated "alphabet soup" of agencies and programs the president pushed into existence. These programs have shaped government policy ever since, making Roosevelt easily one of the (if not THE) most influential presidents in history.

I was taken with how appropriate the timing for this book is as we face serious financial issues now. In a very subtle way, the authors ask if we've learned anything from the past or even if there are valuable lessons in the various things Roosevelt tried during the New Deal. Even the most pro-Roosevelt historian has to admit that the New Deal did not end the Depression, the war did. But even the most anti-Roosevelt historian has to admit that radical change needed to happen during the Depression and that Roosevelt brought a new ethic to the presidency simply by saying it wasn't okay for Americans to starve to death if the economy failed. The book is set in the time of my parents' childhoods, meaning it's ancient history to today's teen; but by setting the book in context with today's situation, I believe this really does offer a point of connection for the young reader.

This isn't a light read, but for teens who really want to understand how economic systems work, this is a valuable tool. I know I came to know Roosevelt better—and I have a better understanding of a complex time in history. For me, seeing the voice of the media using the exact same words to describe Obama's plans that they used for Roosevelt's made me all the more certain that we truly must learn from history if we don't want to repeat it in an endless loop. This book could definitely be a step in the right direction for today's young person.