For four consecutive years she was the world's box-office champion. With
her image appearing in periodicals and advertisements roughly twenty
times daily, she rivaled FDR and Edward VIII as the most photographed
person in the world. Her portrait brightened the homes of countless
admirers, among them J. Edgar Hoover, Andy Warhol, and Anne Frank.
Distinguished cultural historian John F. Kasson shows how, amid the
deprivation and despair of the Great Depression, Shirley Temple radiated
optimism and plucky good cheer that lifted the spirits of millions and
shaped their collective character for generations to come.