Nickel's Worth of Skim Milk: A Boy's View of the Great Depression

by Robert J. Hastings

Book Overview

Told from the point of view of a young boy, this account shows how a family "faced the 1930s head on and lived to tell the story." It is the story of grow­ing up in southern Illinois, specifically the Marion, area during the Great Depression. But when it was first published in 1972 the book proved to be more than one writer's memories of depression-era southern Illinois.

"People started writing me from all over the country," Hastings...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0809313057
• ISBN13: 9780809313051
• Release Date: September 1986
• Publisher: Southern Illinois University Press
• Length: 168 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.1" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Don't Miss This One!

Reprint from a 1970's book that should be in the hands of every American. When we hear we're in a Depression now most old timers (or children of old timers) have a good laugh. They think if they clip coupons, eat at home once in a while and scale back their vacations that they've learned to live with adversity. This is an exceptionally well-written book that tells the story of a boy in Illinois living through the 1930's when a dime was a fortune. As long as the family had a garden, some chickens, a will to do menial work and each other then they could survive . . . and they did. The book is simple and easy to read. You may find yourself up later than you intended because you want to keep reading. This is good for those folks who lived during this time and but is really important for young people who have no idea of the heritage that came from their grandparents. Do yourself a favor and order several copies so you can hand them out to friends and still retain one for yourself.

Excellent book - surprised it's out of print

Great perspective on the Depression by a boy that lived through it. I'll be sharing this with my Dad and Father in Law who appreciate the reality of growing up in hard times.

Nickel's worth of Skim Milk by Robert J. Hastings

Is a great book to read at this time...Oct. 2008. Should be a great book for seniors to remember their early years....a great book for their children to remind them of how things were during the depression of 1929. A MUST read for the grandchildren.

So good, I still remember it 20 years later..

I was ten years old when this book was read to me. My fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Podlinski, took a half hour out of every day to read a chapter to the entire class. My classmates and I eagerly awaited each new day just to hear more of the story. I can't remember much of the actual storyline. I only found it again because I did a google search for "nickel milk book depression." I really only remember how much i liked it and how much I liked the main character. I can't give a plot synopsis. I can tell you that when I heard this story, narrated by my teacher, I thought that this book was better than anything else. I would've given up recess to stay and listen to more. I'm so happy I found it again.

Hastings Makes Hisotry Come Alive!

When reading a Nickels' Worth of Skim Milk, I am transported in time and place into the ordinary life of a small boy. It teaches the complexities of an entire generation. I have given each of my three daughters copies of the book when they were in their young teens. It teaches what life was like during their granparents times and how that has influenced our lives. In a time of society's preoccupation with posessions and greed, this book brings us back to a simplier time when blessings were counted more often.