Whether you’re participating in our Decades Reading Challenge or found this post looking for the best books set in the 1930s, we know you’ll fill your TBR list with these highly-rated reads.
Literary Themes in Books About the 1930s
We’ve compiled a list of highly-rated books about the Thirties, including classic literature, historical fiction novels, and non-fiction reads about fascinating topics.
The 1930s were a time of immense change and upheaval around the world. With the Great Depression and Dust Bowl ravaging economies, the rise of fascism casting a shadow over Europe and international tensions leading to World War II, it was a time of profound uncertainty. But within that uncertainty lie stories of resilience, courage, and hope.
Other books feature a glimpse into life in 1930s America, including Hollywood, sports, crime, and high society. The genres range from emotional family dramas to spy thrillers, so you should find a book to suit any mood. Overall, our must-read books set in the 1930s provide a unique window into this era’s unique challenges and triumphs.
Major World Events of the 1930s
Before recommending books from each decade, we like to provide historical context with an overview of the significant events of the time. If you’d prefer, feel free to scroll straight to our 1930s booklist.
- Following the Wall Street Crash of 1929, the majority of the 1930s would be defined by The Great Depression. In 1932, nearly 25% of the US population was unemployed. By early 1933 nearly 1 in 3 people were unemployed.
- Beginning in 1931, the US suffered the worst drought in its history, leading to the Dust Bowl years. Strong winds stripped the topsoil from the ground, devastating farms throughout the Great Plains. This forced many to move in search of work and better living conditions.
- The Empire State Building was completed in 1931.
- During the 1930s, many bank robbers and murders gained celebrity status – a strange phenomenon unique to this decade.
- The Third Reich rose to power in 1933 and began instituting a series of measures to persecute Jewish citizens. Throughout the decade, Hilter undermined the post-WWI international order, withdrawing from the League of Nations and building up the German army. When Germany attacked Poland in 1939, it marked the start of World War II.
- The 21st Amendment passed in 1933, repealing the 18th Amendment and ending prohibition.
- Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary (aka “The Rock”) opens near San Francisco. It is used to hold some of the most dangerous and well-known US criminals.
- Penguin Books produced their first paperback books in 1935, making affordable literature accessible to the masses.
- The US Social Security Act was signed into law in 1935.
- The 1936 Olympics were held in Berlin, Germany amid a very tense political atmosphere. Hilter viewed the games as an opportunity to prove his theory of Aryan racial superiority. However, he was humiliated when African-American sprinter and long jumper Jesse Owens won four gold medals for the US.
- The Spanish Civil War began in 1936, and continued until 1939 when Franco conquered Madrid.
- Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932. Sadly, she disappeared over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 during an attempt to circumnavigate the globe.
- In 1937, the Hindenburg, a German zeppelin airship, was scheduled to make 10 round trips between Europe and the US. On the first of these flights, the Hindenburg caught fire while attempting to land in New Jersey, killing 35 of the 97 people aboard.
- In 1938, Seabiscuit beat War Admiral in what came to be called the “Race of the Century.”
- The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland, premiered in 1939.
Must-Read Books Set in the 1930s
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West with Giraffes
by Lynda Rutledge
Setting: 1938, Road Trip Across the US
First Published: 2021
West with Giraffes is a charming tale of adventure that takes you on the ride of a lifetime from the east coast of the US to the west, alongside a rowdy 17-year-old, a grumpy older man, and two giraffes.
The year is 1938 and no American zoo has successfully housed giraffes before, but the female zoo director of San Diego Zoo believes she can do it. The giraffes have just survived a hurricane en route to the east coast, and Riley Jones, the zoo’s curmudgeonly head keeper has been charged with safely transporting the giraffes from New York to San Diego.
America is still in the throes of the Great Depression, and the Dust Bowl conditions continue to ravage the drought stricken Southern Plains states, and a coast to coast trek with giant animals is no easy feat. Jones begrudgingly teams up with a starving teenager named Woody to help him make the journey.
At its heart (and this book is filled with LOTS of heart) this is a coming-of-age story. Now at the age of 105, Woody recounts his cross-country trip with the Jones and the giraffes, including their run-ins with circus con artists, being tailed by a female photographer looking for a big scoop, and how his 12-day grand adventure with the giraffes shaped his life.
The Book Girls Say...We both adored everything about this story, and it tops our list of favorite books of 2021. From the insights it gives to life across America in the late 30s to the growing relationships between characters, including between the humans and giraffes, so many things make it a great book!
This book is currently available free with Kindle Unlimited.
Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
The Lindbergh Nanny
by Mariah Fredericks
Setting: 1932, New Jersey
First Published: 2022
In 1932, Charles Lindbergh was America’s golden boy. He had broken barriers by flying across the Atlantic and had a lovely, wealthy wife. The family made headlines in a new way when their toddler, Charles Jr. was kidnapped from the family home in New Jersey.
The boy’s nanny, a Scottish immigrant named Betty Gow, found comfort in caring for the boy after a hard romantic break-up. When Charles Jr disappeared, the media and public made Betty, aka the Lindbergh Nanny, the prime suspect. Betty was determined to find the truth, both the clear her name and to protect the child she adored.
Letters Across the Sea
by Genevieve Graham
Setting: 1933 and 1939, Toronto and Hong Kong
First Published: 2021
From the streets of Toronto to the shores of Hong Kong, this Canadian historical fiction novel tells the story of a little-known chapter of WWII history.
With the Depression crippling Toronto, 18-year-old Molly puts aside her journalism dreams to work any job she can to help her family get by. But, as the summer of 1933 stretches on, the terrible wave of hate and anti-Semitism sweeping the globe reaches Toronto in the form of "Swastika Clubs" and "No Jews Allowed" signs. On a fateful night in August, tensions reached a boiling point between the local Irish and Jewish communities. The resulting riot has devastating consequences for Molly's family and that of her best friend, Hannah.
Six years later, Molly is now working as a reporter for the local paper. With the war on the horizon and many people she loves in danger, Molly is forced to confront what happened on that terrible night back in 1933.
The Book Girls Say... This book combines page-turning fiction with facets of WW2 history that most know little about!
Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Florence Adler Swims Forever
by Rachel Beanland
Setting: 1934, Atlantic City, NJ
First Published: 2020
Each summer, the Adler family rents out their Atlantic City home to vacationers and moves into the cramped apartment above their bakery. Their daughters are now young adults, with Florence home from college and Fannie on bed rest during pregnancy following the loss of a baby. Florence plans to spend the summer training for her plan to swim the English Channel.
The small space becomes even more crowded when the father, Joseph, takes in a women he helped emigrate from Nazi Germany. When a tragedy strike, mom Esther begins a web of lies in an attempt to protect her daughter Fannie, but will this really help in the long run?
Flight of Dreams
by Ariel Lawhon
Setting: 1937, aboard the Hindenburg
First Published: 2016
This historical fiction novel is based on the real people aboard the last flight of the Hindenburg as it traveled from Germany toward Lakehurst, New Jersey. It provides one possible scenario for the mysteries of what caused the explosion aboard the zeppelin.
The Book Girls Guide... This is a well-researched novel that draws upon biographies, survivor accounts, charts, and other documentation about the final flight of the Hindenburg. Some readers found it helpful to make a list of passengers because the book is told from many different perspectives. The author does a good job of clarifying what is fact and what is fiction.
If you're interested in a historical fiction book that also includes the Hindenburg flight as a part of the story, check out Three Words for Goodbye by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb.
Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Beneath a Starless Sky
by Tessa Harris
Setting: 1930, Munich, Hollywood, London, Paris, & Lisbon
First Published: 2020
Jewish ballet dancer Lilli hopes to leave Germany behind to escape the growing Nazi party, but before she can leave for Hollywood, she has a whirlwind romance with Germany Army Captain Marco Zeiller. After her heart is broken, she resumes her plan and makes it to Hollywood where she’s able to dance with Fred Astaire.
He introduces her to high society, including Prince Edward, and life is glamorous and exciting for a while. But when Lilli is injured, ending her career, Nazi sympathizers Prince Edward and his mistress Wallis Simpson have new plans for Lilli. With war looming, Macro reinters Lilli’s life and tests her loyalties one by one.
Water for Elephants
by Sara Gruen
Setting: 1932, Illinois & New York
First Published: 2006
Looking to escape his circumstances, Jacob Jankowski jumps onto a passing train and suddenly finds himself thrust into the world of a circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression. Because Jacob is just shy of his veterinary degree, he's put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. He becomes enamored with Marlena - the star of the equestrian show. But Marlena is married to the circus's cruel animal trainer. Jacob also meets Rosie, an elephant that everyone had hoped would help save the circus, but who appears to be untrainable.
The Book Girls Say... There are a few books that you don't want to end because you're worried you won't find another book you enjoy as much, and this was one of those books. The writing transports you to the time and place - and it's a world you'll want to get lost in.
Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
95% Would Recommend to a Friend
The Miracle & Tragedy of the Dionne Quintuplets
by Sarah Miller
Setting: 1934 Ontario, Canada
First Published: 2019
Imagine being an average expectant mother in 1934, expecting a single baby, and then delivering five. When Yvonne, Annette, Cécile, Émilie, and Marie were born, they defied medical expectations and captured the attention of the world. However, the required medical care was extremely expensive and unaffordable for the parents.
The Canadian government took custody of all five babies and put them in a privately built hospital. However, for the following nine years, the government exploited the children, turning them into an attraction called Quintland that became more popular than Niagra Falls.
The Book Girls Say… While The Miracle and Tragedy of the Dionne Quintuplets is a highly-rated non-fiction account of the lives of the Dionne Quintuplets, there is also a historical fiction novel about the girls called The Quintland Sisters. Our readers have enjoyed that novel, but reported wishing it covered more about the progression of their lives.
The Mitford Affair
by Marie Benedict
Setting: 1930s, England
First Published: 2023
The six Mitford sisters were fixtures in British society between World Wars. Each sister was a strong-minded individual, but they also had a tight bond with each other until Diana divorced her husband to marry a fascist leader, and sister Unity followed her lead. Unity was even rumored to be Hilter’s mistress.
Novelist sister Nancy is the only one to remain in contact with Diana and Unity, so it’s up to her to act when she learns that the sisters have become spies for the Nazi party.
The story is told from the alternating viewpoints of Diana, Unity, and Nancy.
The Book Girls Say… This is largely a slow-paced, character-driven book about a family torn apart by political ideologies. Some reviewers wish there had been more plot over character study.
In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin
by Erik Larson
Setting: 1933, Berlin, Germany
First Published: 2011
William Dodd, a professor from Chicago, is named America's ambassador to Germany at the rise of the Third Reich. His family joins him in Berlin, and his outgoing daughter, Martha, is immediately drawn in to the parties, pomp, and handsome young men of the Third Reich.
While Martha becomes enamored with the "New Germany," her father grows increasingly concerned by what he witnesses all around him as Adolf's true character and ambition become more clear. By the end of 1933, however, even Martha finds herself living in terror.
The Book Girls Say... We've read a lot of books about WWII, but many have left us questioning how the world did not recognize the darkening atmosphere in Germany for so long. This book shines a light on just that question from an eyewitness perspective. If you enjoy history and non-fiction, Erik Larson's books are a wonderful choice because of his detailed research; however, keep in mind that his writing style moves slowly and deliberately.
Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
90% Would Recommend to a Friend
The Last Train to Key West
by Chanel Cleeton
Setting: 1935, Florida Keys
First Published: 2020
Three women's stories intertwine in the Florida Keys as the a powerful hurricane approaches over Labor Day weekend of 1935.
Key West native Helen Berner yearns to escape her abusive husband. Elizabeth Preston has traveled down from New York in search of a veteran of the Great War. Mirta Perez's family suffered great losses in Cuban Revolution of 1933, and now they have arranged her marriage to a man in a dangerous business, followed by a honeymoon in Key West.
The approaching storm is not the only danger that these women face as their paths unexpectedly cross.
The Book Girls Say... Some of our readers have reported not loving the audiobook narrator, so consider listening to a sample before choosing this format.
Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
89% Would Recommend to a Friend
Promise
by Minrose Gwin
Setting: 1936, Tupelo, Mississippi
First Published: 2018
The evening of April 5, 1936, a tornado ripped through Tupelo, Mississippi, which was already suffering at the height of the Great Depression. More than 200 people were killed, with the exact numbers unknown because Black citizens made up ⅓ of the Tupelo population, but were not counted in casualty figures.
Dovey, a Black grandmother barely survived being thrown into a lake by the winds. As she tries to make her way home through the destroyed streets, she stops at the home of the despised McNabb family and finds White teenager Jo with a terrible head wound.
During the following hours, Dovey and Jo struggle to navigate town and the demons that connect them. The story is said to be a reminder of the power and promise that come when we reconnect.
The Saints of Swallow Hill
by Donna Everhart
Setting: 1930s, North Carolina & Georgia
First Published: 2022
Set against the backdrop of the Great Depression, this book transports readers to the turpentine camps and pine forests of the South. North Carolina earned its nickname - the Tar Heel State - from the thick, sticky sap that laborers extracted from the trees. It was hard and dangerous work, often in inhumane conditions.
When Rae's husband, Warren, is hurt and cannot do the job, Rae disguises herself as a man and heads to the Swallow Hill turpentine camp in Georgia. There she meets Del, who is on the run from the mistakes of his past, and Cornelia, the browbeaten wife of the camp's commissary owner. As the three form a stronger friendship, they begin to envision a path out of the camp and a better future.
The Book Girls Say... This book is described as Where the Crawdads Sing meets The Four Winds. The descriptive writing does a good job of setting the time and place, and the story shows the determination and grit of the characters in the face of the hate and racism that abounds.
The Four Winds
by Kristin Hannah
Setting: 1934-1936, Texas
First Published: 2021
As the Dust Bowl drought gripped the Great Plains, millions were out of work, crops were failing, water was drying up, and farmers were fighting to keep their land. This is the story of Elsa Martinelli, who is forced to make an agonizing choice: fight for her land in Texas or move west, to California, in search of a better life. She, like so many of her neighbors, courageously faces the hardship and sacrifices that came to define an entire generation during the Great Depression as they fought for the American Dream.
Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
98% Would Recommend to a Friend
For additional titles set during this time, be sure to visit our list of Unforgettable Dust Bowl Books.
Orphan Train
by Christina Baker Kline
Setting: Depression-era Minnesota and 2011 Maine
First Published: 2013
During the 80 years leading up to the Great Depression, so called Orphan Trains transported children from cities on the East Coast to the farmlands of the Midwest. The fates of the children on board - whether they would end up with loving families or end up with a childhood of hard labor - was determined by pure luck.
Vivian - now 91 - was one of those children, and the memories of her childhood are now tucked inside of trunks in her attic. Eighteen-year-old Molly is aging out of the foster care system and is assigned community service helping the elderly Vivian clean out her home. She will soon learn that the two have much more in common that she ever expected.
The Book Girls Say... Melissa read Orphan Train a few years back and was shocked to learn about the Children's Aid Society trains. While some have criticized the book as seeming like a young adult novel, Melissa enjoyed the story and characters.
Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
This Tender Land
by William Kent Krueger
Setting: 1932 - Minnesota & down the Mississippi River
First Published: 2020
Set in 1932 during the Great Depression, This Tender Land follows four orphans who have escaped the abusive Lincoln Indian Training School. The kids set off down the river, and have to survive the environment while being pursued by the school.
They have to decide whether to trust each stranger they encounter and discover themselves along the way. Equal parts adventure and heart, this book is often described as a modern classic and compared to Huckleberry Finn.
The Book Girls Say... Melissa's husband just finished reading This Tender Land and said it lives up to all the great reviews. She can't wait to pick it up now that he finished reading it!
Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Faster: How a Jewish Driver, an American Heiress, and a Legendary Car Beat Hitler's Best
by Neal Bascomb
Setting: 1930s, Western Europe
First Published: 2020
This fascinating non-fiction read tells the story of the glamorous auto racing era and the success of one very unlikely team as the world as the world teetered on brink of war.
Rene Dryfus was one of the top drivers on the international racecar scene in the '20s and early '30s, but by the mid-30s, as the Third Reich rose to power, Dryfus was banned from the best European teams because of his Jewish heritage.
At the same time, Charles Weiffenbach, the head of the down-on-its-luck automaker Delahaye, was desperately searching for a way to save his company.
Lucy Schell was the adventurous daughter of an American multi-millionaire and a rally racer. She enlists Dalahaye to build a car capable of winning the Grand Prix races for the 1938 season in hopes of defeating Germany, who had dominated the sport.
The Book Girls Say... Reviewers say that you don't need to know anything about motorsport in order to enjoy this fascingating read. This book is recommended for fans of The Boys in the Boat, and In the Garden of Beasts, both of which are also on this list.
The Nightingale
by Kristin Hannah
Setting: 1939, France
First Published: 2015
The Nightingale tells the story of French sisters Vianne and Isabelle, who have always been at odds. Vianne is a rule-follower, and Isabelle is more rebellious and willing to speak her mind. With WWII on, Isabelle intends to fight for France, while Vianne simply wants to survive the war with her family intact - even if it means allowing a German officer to live in her home.
Isabelle, who refuses to live passively under German authority, joins the French resistance guides Allied airmen out of France after their planes are shot down - work for which she adopts the codename the Nightingale. As the war wages on, both sisters learn who they are and what they can do.
The Book Girls Say... If you've already read and loved The Nightingale, be sure to check out our list of the Best Books Like the Nightingale.
Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
96% Would Recommend to a Friend
To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee
Setting: 1933, Alabama
First Published: 1960
You probably read this classic back in high school (or at least you were supposed to), but we recommend you give this famous book another read. Chances are you'll get even more out of it this time around!
If you aren't familiar with the story, it's told from the perspective of a 6-year-old girl called Scout. Her widowed father, Atticus Finch, is a crusading local lawyer who risks everything to defend a black man accused of a terrible crime.
Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
98% Would Recommend to a Friend
The Boys in the Boat
by Daniel James Brown
Setting: 1936, Berlin Olympics
First Published: 2013
This is the non-fiction story of nine working-class boys - sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers - who beat all the odds to even become the American rowing team, let alone defeat others on the international stage. Out of the depths of the Depression, these unlikely young men shocked the world by defeating the German team at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.
In writing this story, Brown drew upon the boys’ own journals and vivid memories to paint a portrait of an era.
Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
95% Would Recommend to a Friend
Finding Dorothy
by Elizabeth Letts
Setting: 1938, Hollywood; late 19th & early 20th centuries, South Dakota
First Published: 2019
This novel tells the story behind The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, through the eyes of Maud, the wife of author L. Frank Baum. The book follows two story lines - one tells the story of Maud's youth as the rebellious daughter of a leading suffragette and the early years of Maud and Frank's marriage on the prairie.
The second story line takes place in Hollywood when Maud learns that MGM is adapting The Wonderful Wizard of Oz into a movie. Then 77, Maud finagle her way onto the set in hopes of ensuring the producers stay true to the spirit of the book. She meets Judy Garland and recognizes in the young woman the yearning that defined her own life story.
The Book Girls say... Melissa read Finding Dorothy in January and it quickly became one of her favorite books that she already looks forward to re-reading again. It captures a true glimpse into life as a woman in the late 1800s-1930s while constantly keeping you engaged between moments of true joy and deep heartache in the life of Maud.
Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
The Color Purple
by Alice Walker
Setting: 1930s Georgia
First Published: 1982
The Color Purple portrays the lives of African American women in the deep south throughout the first half of the twentieth century, though most of the story takes place between the two world wars. Separated when they are young, sisters Celie and Nettie maintain their relationship through a series of letters spanning twenty years. This book broke the silence around domestic and sexual abuse, while taking readers on a journey of love and redemption.
This book is currently available free with Kindle Unlimited.
Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
95% Would Recommend to a Friend
The Green Mile
by Stephen King
Setting: 1932, Cold Mountain Penitentiary
First Published: 1996
Cold Mountain Penitentiary is home to the Depression-worn men of E Block. All of them are convicted killers awaiting their time to walk the Green Mile - the path that leads to the electric chair known as "Old Sparky." Death row guard Paul Edgecombe has walked the mile with a lot of convicts, but he's never met anyone else like John Coffey - a giant man with the mind of a child who has been condemned for a terrifyingly violent crime.
The Book Girls Say... This book inspired the 2000 Academy Award-nominated movie by the same name.
Memoirs of a Geisha
by Arthur Golden
Setting: 1930, Kyoto, Japan
First Published: 1997
Nitta is a young girl taken from her Japanese fishing village at the age of 9 and sold into slavery to a renowned geisha house. The city of Kyoto in the 1930s is a world in which appearances are paramount, where a girl's virginity is auctioned to the highest bidder, where women are trained to attract the most powerful men, and where love is scorned as an illusion.
The Book Girls Say... Memoirs of a Geisha is one of the best-selling books set in Japan of the last few decades, but keep in mind that this is a novel written by an American author that never gained the same level of popularity in Japan.
Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
94% Would Recommend to a Friend
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
by Kim Michele Richardson
Setting: 1936 Kentucky
First Published: 2019
The impoverished residents of Troublesome Creek struggle for nearly everything, but thanks to Roosevelt's Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project they don't want for books.
Book woman Cussy Mary Carter, is not only Troublesome Creek's own traveling library, she's also the last living female of the rare Blue People ancestry. But not everyone approves of Cussy's family or the government Library Project. Cussy wants to bring the joy of books to the hill folks, but she has to confront prejudice and suspicion as old as the Appalachians.
The Book Girls Say... The sequel, The Book Woman's Daugther, is set in Kentucky two decades later, in the 1950s.
Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
A Long Petal of the Sea
by Isabel Allende
Setting: 1930s
First Published: 2019
This novel begins during the Spanish Civil War. When Franco succeeds in overthrowing the government, thousands flee to the French border, including Roser, a pregnant young widow, and Victor, an army doctor and brother of Roser's deceased love. In order to improve their chances of survival, Roser and Victor must marry despite neither wishing to do so.
Together with thousands of other refugees, they board the SS Winnipeg bound for Chile, leaving behind a Europe erupting in WWII. While starting over on another continent, both hold onto hope that they'll be able to return to Spain one day. But as they witness the battle between freedom and repression across the globe, Roser and Victor discover that home is closer than they thought.
The Book Girls Say... Melissa recently watched an interview with author Isabel Allende, and found her utterly hilarious and charming. We both look forward to reading this one, and expect that if her writing is anything like her speaking, Allende's novel is sure to jump to the top of our favorites list.
Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
91% Would Recommend to a Friend
Rules of Civility
by Amor Towles
Setting: 1938, New York City
First Published: 2011
In post-Depression-era New York, a young women has a chance encounter with a handsome banker, and suddenly finds herself thrust into a yearlong journey into high society. You'll be drawn in by the characters and the sparkling depiction of New York's social strata. As one review put it, "If a novel could win an award for best cinematography, this would take home the gold."
Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
88% Would Recommend to a Friend
A Hundred Summers
by Beatriz Williams
Setting: 1938, Rhode Island
First Published: 2013
It's Memorial Day 1938 and New York socialite Lily Dane has returned with her family for another summer in the oceanfront community of Seaview, Rhode Island. But when Lily's former best friend shows up at the beach, newly married to Lily's former fiance, the summer no longer looks to be as peaceful and relaxing as planned.
Amid gossip and an impending hurricane, buried emotions and unexpected truths bubble to the surface.
Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Seabiscuit: An American Legend
by Laura Hillenbrand
Setting: 1938, USA
First Published: 1999
In 1938, a racehorse named Seabiscuit was the single biggest newsmaker, receiving more coverage than even FDR and Adolf. This non-fiction book tells his story.
The racing establishment had written off Seabiscuit because of his crooked legs, but three men changed his fortunes - Charles Howard, who introduced the automobile to the western US and became an overnight millionaire; Tom Smith, a mustang breaker from Colorado; and jockey Red Pollard, a failed boxer who was blind in one eye and half crippled.
Before We Were Yours
by Lisa Wingate
Setting: 1939, Memphis
First Published: 2017
This book is based on the true story of Georgia Tann's "adoption" agency that claimed to help orphans, but instead kidnapped poor children and trafficked them to wealthy families.
Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings have a wonderful life on the Mississippi River aboard their family’s shantyboat. But on stormy night when their father has to take their mother to the hospital, Rill is left in charge. But when strangers arrive, the kids are thrown into a Tennessee Children’s Home Society orphanage. They are assured that they will soon be returned to their parents - but they quickly realize the dark truth.
In present-day South Carolina, Avery Stafford returns home to help her father during a health crisis. When she stumbles upon the possibility that her grandmother may be harboring a dark family secret, Avery becomes obsessed with her mission to uncover the truth.
The Book Girls Say... Melissa read this heart-breaking tale and hates that it was based on true events. It was worth reading, but she recommends grabbing your tissues and keeping them handy!
Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
95% Would Recommend to a Friend
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
by Fannie Flagg
Setting: 1930s, Alabama
First Published: 1987
In this novel, the elderly Mrs. Threadgoode is telling a story to middle-aged Evelyn. Her tale is of two women who - back in the 1930s - ran a café in Whistle Stop, Alabama. Serving up good coffee and barbecue, the café was a place for friendship, and the occasional murder...
The Book Girls Say... While many people have seen the movie adaptation of this novel, as is often the case - the story in the book unfolds differently, and most agree the book is better. Because the book is partially set in segregated 1930s Alabama, there is some unfortunate but historically accurate language.
The sequel, The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop, also goes back and forth in time between the 1930s and the present day.
Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
You are welcome to choose any book that you’d like to read for the challenge, but we hope that this list of books has given you a good starting point.
Members of our email list and Facebook group, Read with the Book Girls can log ratings for their monthly challenge reads. The logs provide us with data for the “BGG Reader Ratings” that are added to descriptions for future years. We’d love you to contribute your rating after you’ve finished your read this month.
Join the Decades Reading Challenge
Book Recommendations for Other Decades
If you love learning about different time periods through books, use the index of books by time period below to fill your TBR!
- Books Set in the 1950s
- Books Set in the 1940s
- Books Set in the 1930s
- Books Set in the 1920s
- Books Set in the 1900s-1910s: The Turn of the Century
- Books Set in the 1880s and 1890s: The Gilded Age
- Books that Span Multiple Decades
- Books Set in the 2010s
- Books Set in the 2000s
- Books Set in the 1990s
- Books Set in the 1980s
- Books Set in the 1970s
- Books Set in the 1960s
Can you send me a printable list with the book titles but not descriptions?
This was a big request last year that we weren’t able to add to our plates in 2022. New for 2023, readers who support Book Girls Guide through our Buy Me a Coffee membership site will receive special monthly printable journal pages as a thank you bonus. The voluntary members (we call them our BFFs) help cover the cost of running the challenges so we can keep them free for everyone.
We’re so excited to be able to offer this fun perk this year!
The new pages will be pre-filled with every book title for the month, and include space for you to mark your interest level, make notes about whether you’ve requested the book from the library (or any other notes you’d like), and then fill in your rating. We’ll also include blank lines in case you have other books on your TBR (to be read) list that meet the prompt. We’d love you to sign up here!
That said, you’ll always find the most updated version of our recommendations with descriptions each month at no cost on our website. We do update the list and descriptions regularly based on reader feedback. But, we know some of you wanted to print the list to take to the library or bookstore, and we hope this helps.
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Teri
Thursday 13th of April 2023
I finished reading The Mitford Affair about the intriguing sisters I had never heard of. That led me to The Mayfair Bookshop, about the bookshop that Nancy Mitford worked in, also set in the 1930s. Today I finished reading an engrossing historical fiction novel called The Kennedy Debutante. This book, by Kerri Maher, is about Kathleen (Kick) Kennedy and her life in England before and during the war years. It might be a good addition to next year's 1930s list. And guess what, Kick was friends and very briefly related to Deborah Mitford who is featured in the story
Angela Rathbun
Thursday 13th of April 2023
We enjoyed the Kennedy Debutante as well! We actually have it on our 1940s book list, since Kick chose to remain in London (separated from her family) when WWII began and joined the Red Cross in 1940. But, since the book begins in the late 1930s, it’s also a great choice for the 30s as well.
Mary Ellen Reilly
Tuesday 21st of March 2023
There are so many good books on this list. I've already read some of them. Others I have on my bookshelf that I'm looking to read. I may choose 100 Summers or Finding Dorothy. Maybe both!
Miranda
Friday 17th of March 2023
A book that I read last December and really really enjoyed was called When the Dancing Stopped: The Real Story of the Morro Castle Disaster and its Deadly Wake by Brian Hicks. It’s about a luxury cruise ship that burned down mysteriously in 1934. The night before, the captain died suddenly. Several years later, the ship’s chief radio operator was arrested for murdering two people, with suspicion of attempted murder of a third. It was really interesting, and the author made the whole story (this is nonfiction) very interesting and reasonably fast paced. It really drew me in and had me fascinated, in all honesty I’ve been obsessed with the Morro Castle ever since, no one has ever heard of it because of all the other historically significant events at the time (Lindberg baby, WWII, etc), but I still find it strange that absolutely no one I talked to had ever heard of it. I had my coworkers invested in the story as well, I would read on my breaks and they ask me “if they got the guy who burned down the boat yet!” P.S. I’ve loved the books so far! This is my first year participating in a challenge and I’m enjoying it a ton!
Melissa George
Friday 17th of March 2023
That sounds fascinating! Thanks so much for sharing, we made a note to consider it when we update the list next year!
Kim
Friday 1st of April 2022
So far I have almost missed my train stop TWICE because the books that you recommended were so engrossing. Your descriptions are accurate enough that I have thoroughly enjoyed every book that I have read so far for the decades challenge. Thank you!
Melissa George
Friday 1st of April 2022
You're so welcome! While we hope you never miss your stop, we LOVE hearing this!
Diana
Wednesday 9th of March 2022
I can’t find the link to post the books read for March 1930’s