Depression Folk

“Successfully weaves together some of the important people engaged with left-wing music in this era and draws attention to the importance of of music to a historical understanding of the 1930s.” — Arkansas Historical Quarterly

“Cohen’s approachable writing style makes this book appropriate for general readers as well as scholars of folk music, cultural history, and American politics. Highly recommended.” — CHOICE

“A book that is made to order for anyone who wants to understand where folk music came from and what the 1930s sounded like.” — Labour/Le Travail

“A primer for anyone looking for an overview of the vernacular music that contained political commentary during this tumultuous yet pivotal American decade.” — Journal of Southern History

“Through the insightful lens of music, Ronald D. Cohen reveals a definitive narrative of labor struggles, politics, leftist thought, and the effects of the Great Depression on everyday Americans during this tumultuous era in our nation’s history.” — Ron Pen, University of Kentucky

“Ronald D. Cohen has written a compelling, engaging, and highly readable account of the indelible, influential, and important style of music we associate with the Great Depression. A much-needed work that fills a void in the scholarship of the labor movement and folk music in the 1930s.” — Timothy Lynch, author of Strike Songs of the Depression