Hard Work and a Good Deal - by Barbara W Sommer (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The Civilian Conservation Corps--born out of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal at the height of the Great Depression--supplied jobs to more than 77,000 Minnesotans in need. Their work left a lasting legacy, visible today in Minnesota's thriving forests, state park amenities, and soil conservation practices.

Hundreds of interviews complement oral historian Barbara Sommer's lively text with personal accounts that animate the history of the CCC in Minnesota as camps were created and projects tackled throughout the state. The "boys" look back--often fondly--at this program, which, for many, was their introduction to the workforce and to life away from home.

Review Quotes

"The oral histories throughout Hard Work and a Good Deal add immeasurably to this readable, thorough contribution to Minnesota history. A generation of young men whose talents could so easily have been lost in the Great Depression describe their hard work as well as the day-to-day life in CCC camps. Well done!"
Victoria Ford, coauthor, The Civilian Conservation Corps in Nevada: From Boys to Men

"Sommer's narrative clearly contextualizes the CCC for those unfamiliar with it and skillfully interweaves excerpts from interviews with former CCC enrollees. These voices keep Hard Work lively and add a human dimension to her story."
Annals of Iowa

"Thanks to Sommer, the words and photographs of a generation of CCC workers bring this history of the land of ten thousand lakes to life."
Natural History Magazine