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A Secret Gift by Ted Gup
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A Secret Gift

How One Man's Kindness–and a Trove of Letters–Revealed the Hidden History of t he Great Depression

How One Man's Kindness–and a Trove of Letters–Revealed the Hidden History of t he Great Depression

How One Man's Kindness–and a Trove of Letters–Revealed the Hidden History of the Great Depression

By Ted Gup

By Ted Gup

By Ted Gup

By Ted Gup

By Ted Gup
Read by Mark Deakins

By Ted Gup
Read by Mark Deakins

Best Seller
Paperback $19.00

Oct 25, 2011 | ISBN 9780143120001

Ebook $7.99

Oct 28, 2010 | ISBN 9781101444634

Audiobook Download $17.50

Nov 09, 2010 | 600 Minutes

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    A Secret Gift by Ted Gup
    Paperback $19.00
    Oct 25, 2011 | ISBN 9780143120001

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      Oct 25, 2011 | ISBN 9780143120001

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      Oct 28, 2010 | ISBN 9781101444634

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    About A Secret Gift

    "A wonderful reminder that economic hardship can bring suffering but can also foster compassion and community." –The Boston Globe

    In hard economic times like these, readers will find bestselling author Ted Gup’s unique book uplifting as well as captivating. Inside a suitcase kept in his mother’s attic, Gup discovered letters written to his grandfather in response to an ad placed in a Canton, Ohio, newspaper in 1933 that offered cash to seventy-five families facing a devastating Christmas. The author travels coast to coast to unveil the lives behind the letters, describing a range of hardships and recreating in his research the hopes and suffering of Depression-era Americans, even as he uncovers the secret life led by the grandfather he thought he knew.

    About A Secret Gift

    An inspiring account of America at its worst-and Americans at their best-woven from the stories of Depression-era families who were helped by gifts from the author’s generous and secretive grandfather.

    Shortly before Christmas 1933 in Depression-scarred Canton, Ohio, a small newspaper ad offered $10, no strings attached, to 75 families in distress. Interested readers were asked to submit letters describing their hardships to a benefactor calling himself Mr. B. Virdot. The author’s grandfather Sam Stone was inspired to place this ad and assist his fellow Cantonians as they prepared for the cruelest Christmas most of them would ever witness.

    Moved by the tales of suffering and expressions of hope contained in the letters, which he discovered in a suitcase 75 years later, Ted Gup initially set out to unveil the lives behind them, searching for records and relatives all over the country who could help him flesh out the family sagas hinted at in those letters. From these sources, Gup has re-created the impact that Mr B. Virdot’s gift had on each family. Many people yearned for bread, coal, or other necessities, but many others received money from B. Virdot for more fanciful items-a toy horse, say, or a set of encyclopedias. As Gup’s investigations revealed, all these things had the power to turn people’s lives around- even to save them.

    But as he uncovered the suffering and triumphs of dozens of strangers, Gup also learned that Sam Stone was far more complex than the lovable- retiree persona he’d always shown his grandson. Gup unearths deeply buried details about Sam’s life-from his impoverished, abusive upbringing to felonious efforts to hide his immigrant origins from U.S. officials-that help explain why he felt such a strong affinity to strangers in need. Drawing on his unique find and his award-winning reportorial gifts, Ted Gup solves a singular family mystery even while he pulls away the veil of eight decades that separate us from the hardships that united America during the Depression. In A Secret Gift, he weaves these revelations seamlessly into a tapestry of Depression-era America, which will fascinate and inspire in equal measure.

    Watch a Video

    About A Secret Gift

    Shortly before Christmas 1933 in Depression-scarred Canton, Ohio, a small newspaper ad offered cash gifts to seventy-five families in distress. Readers were asked to send letters describing their hardships to a benefactor calling himself Mr. B. Virdot. The author’s grandfather, Sam Stone, was inspired to place this ad and help his fellow Cantonians as they prepared for the cruelest Christmas most of them would ever endure.

    Moved by the stories of suffering and hope in the letters, which he discovered in a suitcase seventy-five years later, Ted Gup first set out to unveil the lives behind them, searching for records and relatives to flesh out the family sagas hinted at in those letters. From these sources, Gup has re-created the impact that B. Virdot’s gift had on each family.

    But as he uncovered the suffering and triumphs of dozens of strangers, Gup also learned that Sam Stone was far more complex than the lovable-retiree persona he’d always shown his grandson. Gup solves a singular family mystery even as he pulls away the veil of eight decades that separate us from the hardships that united America during the Depression.

    Listen to a sample from A Secret Gift

    Also by Ted Gup

    Nation of Secrets
    The Book of Honor
    See all books by Ted Gup

    Also by Ted Gup

    Nation of Secrets
    The Book of Honor
    See all books by Ted Gup

    Also by Ted Gup

    Nation of Secrets
    The Book of Honor
    See all books by Ted Gup

    About Ted Gup

    Ted Gup is a legendary investigative reporter who worked under Bob Woodward at the Washington Post, and later at Time. He is a recipient of numerous awards, including the the George Polk Award and the Worth Bingham Prize. The author… More about Ted Gup

    About Ted Gup

    Ted Gup is a legendary investigative reporter who worked under Bob Woodward at the Washington Post, and later at Time. He is a recipient of numerous awards, including the the George Polk Award and the Worth Bingham Prize. The author… More about Ted Gup

    About Ted Gup

    Ted Gup is a legendary investigative reporter who worked under Bob Woodward at the Washington Post, and later at Time. He is a recipient of numerous awards, including the the George Polk Award and the Worth Bingham Prize. The author… More about Ted Gup

    Product Details

    Category: Biography & Memoir | 20th Century U.S. History

    Paperback | $19.00
    Published by Penguin Books
    Oct 25, 2011 | 400 Pages | 5-5/16 x 8 | ISBN 9780143120001

    Category: Biography & Memoir | 20th Century U.S. History

    Ebook | $7.99
    Published by Penguin Books
    Oct 28, 2010 | 384 Pages | ISBN 9781101444634

    Category: Philosophy | Literary Collections | Inspiration & Motivation | Personal Growth | Audiobooks

    Audiobook Download | $17.50
    Published by Random House Audio
    Nov 09, 2010 | 600 Minutes | ISBN 9780307578044
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