General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: What political books are an absolute must-read for DUers? [View all]Warpy
(111,245 posts)since the shenanigans of the bankers produced balloon payment mortgages that were a glorified rental scheme since those mortgages had to be renegotiated every time the balloon payments kicked in. Few people were able to save enough to purchase a house outright and that was about the only alternative.
"The Jungle" did more to inspire the New Deal than any other book out there.
"The Grapes of Wrath" is another good read, documenting how people were forced off their land in favor of mechanized Agribusiness and set adrift across the country, landless, jobless and hopeless. Yes, the Joads look like caricatures now, but they weren't back then, they were honest, churchgoing people who lived as decently as they could afford until the collision of the Dust Bowl, mechanization, and predatory banking combined to destroy their lives. And don't we know all about those last two.
Both books are great reads.