"In this work first published in 1974, Glen H. Elder, Jr. presents the first longitudinal study of a Depression cohort. He follows 167 individuals born in 1920-1921 from their elementary school days in Oakland. California, through the 1960s. Using a combined historical, social, and psychological approach, Elder assesses the influence of the economic crisis on the life course of these Californians over two generations.

The twenty-fifth anniversary edition of this classic study includes a new chapter by the author which explores how World War II and the Korean War changed the lives of these Depression youth and a younger birth cohort (1928-29)."--BOOK JACKET.