Chicago: Lawrence Hill Books / Chicago Review Press, (2012) dj. Hardcover first edition - When the federal government, despite the "new deal, " pulled back from direct relief, control was returned to local authorities. "On February 25, 1938, the reviled poormaster [of Hoboken, NJ], Harry Barck wielding power over who would receive public aid died from a paper spike thrust into his heart. . . News of the poormasters death brought national attention to the plight of ten million unemployed living in desperate circumstances. A team led by celebrated attorney Samuel Leibowitz of 'Scottsboro Boys' fame worked to save Scutellaro from the electric chair, arguing that the jobless mans struggle with the poormaster was a symbol of larger social ills." We are still living in a time when these issues - endemic poverty, and the inadequacy of public assistance - are vital. Map, photographs, notes, index. 308 pp. ISBN: 978-1613744185.