#ClassicFilmReading: The Little Girl Who Fought the Great Depression: Shirley Temple and 1930s America by John F. Kasson

Well, I picked this up because I wanted to know more about Shirley Temple...

...and I have to say that I still don't know much about her after reading it.

If you're looking for a more comprehensive portrait of life in 1930s America and how the Great Depression affected every aspect of life, and in that, a slice of how Shirley Temple defied the odds and became a rallying point for society, then this is your book. 

There's more in here about how FDR got elected and tried to steer a sinking ship out of ruin, and how he and Eleanor transformed the public role of the presidency, than there is about Shirley. There's a brief bit about how her mother wanted her to be a transformational figure in the family's life, and by golly, she got that wish fulfilled! 

There are chapters about race and class; there's a dedicated chapter to Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson and how he broke the colour barrier and revolutionized tap dancing and the lifelong friendship he maintained with Shirley.

There's commentary on fan culture and publicity and how Shirley was the biggest star on the planet for that spell of the '30s. And there are detailed descriptions of the films she made and the behind the scenes politicking that went into play; there's a bit about how she aged out of the adorable cherub with the blonde curls and couldn't parlay the success into an adult career. 

But there's no overall portrait of Shirley Temple here. I wanted to know more about her family life than the brief, disjointed glimpses we get. How did her fame impact the rest of her family? Was she close with her parents and brothers as she grew up? We get a touch of it, when she marries for the second time and her husband encourages her to check on how much money she has and she finds her father squandered it all, which I would have loved to know more about! How did her childhood affect her later in life? Did she decide to do things differently with her own children? How did she get involved in politics and diplomacy; what were her thoughts on the Nixon White House? Reagan? Bush? Did she even like the Shirley Temple mocktail? (I've read an interview where she says it's too sweet for her tastes, but still!) 

I think if you're looking for a cultural study of a time and place, this book will help you understand what life was like in Depression-era America. But if you want a detailed look at Shirley Temple's life, this probably isn't it.

___

Have you read any good Shirley Temple biographies? Let me know in the comments!