A Secret Gift by Ted Gup

In 1933 a man by the name of Mr. B. Virdot placed an ad in a Canton, Ohio newspaper offering $10 to persons who would write to him and explain their dire circumstances and how they had bee affected by the Great Depression. A Secret Gift is a compilation of the letters that were found by his grandson. Gup had not known this about his grandfather and as he recalls many memories of his family throughout the book, the reader is moved by the compassion of B. Virdot (a fictitious name composed of the letters of his children) and Samuel Stone, his real name. 

For readers who only have a book knowledge of the depression, this book hits at the heart of the desperate times so many people faced as they were without work and without the resources to even put food on the table. Some of the letters were so heart-wrenching that one could not help but shed a tear. Stone was comfortable during those times and his compassion for his fellow human beings was a gesture that showed his empathy and generosity. 

Gup also intersperses his family history into the book and it is a compelling story of an immigrant and his families struggle being Jewish a prejudicial society. Samuel J. Stone was born to the immigrant Jacob Finklestein in Pittsburgh. As Gup tries to put the pieces of Stone's life together, the narrative often references the family in Pittsburgh, Ohio, and Florida where Stone died. Why did Stone change his name, falsify his birth certificate and passport, and move around to so many places in the United States. It is a fascinating story that only at the end of his family history journey does Gup discover so many answers. 

In addition to the sad and tragic letters, many printed in their entirety,  what stood out to me was the incredible research Gup did in tracking down the descendants of the letter writers. He acknowledged the genealogy departments of libraries, newspaper archives, and vital records repositories. It was with such persisitance that he was able to locate family members who were able to shed light on their family's' history throughout and after the depression. That was no easy task, but the result was a beautiful book full of inspiration and hope despite the tragedy and sadness that initiated it all.