The 1930s were a time of economic decline and major natural disasters. While the United States was going through a great deal of cost cutting, literature was an important way for people to escape the depression and recession brought by the 1930s. During September 3, 1929 the stock market was at its peak (boom or bust). On October 29, 1929, the stock market crash, known as “Black Tuesday” (Boom). As the stock market collapsed, the steel industry collapsed, several banks failed, and home construction was curtailed (The Struggles of the 1930s). During this period international trade decreased by more than 50% and unemployment rose to 25% (Boom). In the early 1930s the Dustbowl hit the plains of the Midwest and South (Boom). The top five states affected by the Dustbowl were Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Nevada. Over the course of several years of poor agricultural practices and severe droughts in the Great Plains, the region began to decline. In 1932 the number of dust storms increased dramatically. One fifth of the migrant families were from Oklahoma known as "Okies". But about three-quarters of farmers did not emigrate from the terrible land, they remained in their homes and waited for the land to repair itself (struggles). John Steinbeck was born on February 29, 1902. He was born in the agricultural town of Saline California. Steinbeck's first successful novel was Tortilla Flat (a biography of John Steinbeck). He wrote sixteen novels and a variety of short story collections. He was an intelligent person, passionately interested in strange inventions. Steinbeck received his first interest in writing from his mother. She was a school teacher who encouraged his love of reading. In 1939 “The Grapes of Wrath” was considered a masterpiece that won the Pulitzer Prize. S......middle of paper......one of the most popular American films was produced in the 1930s. “A good-hearted Disney film” Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is one of the American classics. Snow White's jealous stepmother only wanted her to be unhappy, placing Snow White under a magical spell. Snow White is much loved by her best friends, the seven dwarfs. Only a kiss of love can save Snow White from the spell of her evil stepmother. One of the best known films of the time was Gone with the Wind. A manipulative southern belle has an affair with a blockade runner during the American Civil War (AMC). Although the Dustbowl and Great Depression brought economic hardship, America found a way to overlook the harsh events of the 1930s. Some writers of the time describe difficult stories and circumstances. While producers and radio stations provided America with a distraction.