A Secret Gift, by Ted Gup
An inspiring account of America at its worst-and Americans at their best-woven from the stories of Depression-era families who were helped by gifts from the author’s generous and secretive grandfather.
Shortly before Christmas 1933 in Depression-scarred Canton, Ohio, a small newspaper ad offered $10, no strings attached, to 75 families in distress. Interested readers were asked to submit letters describing their hardships to a benefactor calling himself Mr. B. Virdot. The author’s grandfather Sam Stone was inspired to place this ad and assist his fellow Cantonians as they prepared for the cruelest Christmas most of them would ever witness.
Moved by the tales of suffering and expressions of hope contained in the letters, which he discovered in a suitcase 75 years later, Ted Gup initially set out to unveil the lives behind them, searching for records and relatives all over the country who could help him flesh out the family sagas hinted at in those letters. From these sources, Gup has re-created the impact that Mr B. Virdot’s gift had on each family. Many people yearned for bread, coal, or other necessities, but many others received money from B. Virdot for more fanciful items-a toy horse, say, or a set of encyclopedias. As Gup’s investigations revealed, all these things had the power to turn people’s lives around- even to save them.
But as he uncovered the suffering and triumphs of dozens of strangers, Gup also learned that Sam Stone was far more complex than the lovable- retiree persona he’d always shown his grandson. Gup unearths deeply buried details about Sam’s life-from his impoverished, abusive upbringing to felonious efforts to hide his immigrant origins from U.S. officials-that help explain why he felt such a strong affinity to strangers in need. Drawing on his unique find and his award-winning reportorial gifts, Ted Gup solves a singular family mystery even while he pulls away the veil of eight decades that separate us from the hardships that united America during the Depression. In A Secret Gift, he weaves these revelations seamlessly into a tapestry of Depression-era America, which will fascinate and inspire in equal measure.
For more about the book and the compelling story within, please visit:
I am replying to Mr Ted Gup to tell you Helen Grant is my Aunt my mother being her sister My mother Bernice Palm Cusack who passed away 31 years ago, Aunt Helen was a aunt I could always go to if I needed to be close to my mom they were so much alike.If anybody needs to be honered as a guest of honer at your book signing it is Aunt Helen she is a gem and always had that kind and generous personality. Everybody loves her . I can not wait to read your book. Carol Eckman
Thank you Ted Gup for your tireless pursuit of the B. Virdot mystery. And what a treasure you unfolded for yourself and for all of us to read. I am a champion for the handwritten letter and I was thrilled to discover your book. Sometimes handwriting is hard to read, but then it is the “hard copy” you can take the time to decipher. At any rate, I just put up a post on the site discussing A Secret Gift. I am hoping many new Sam Stone fans will appear. Thank you, and many thanks to Sam for his “secret Santa” generosity!
May we all learn from his humanity. All the very best to you! -cc
[...] story reminds of another tale about quiet community charity, Ted Gup’s book “A Secret Gift,” about an anonymous Depression-era newspaper ad in Ohio, that offered $10 to 75 families in [...]