Really interesting book about a time and place that I knew little about. If you need visuals to accompany the book the movie that they talk about is available on YouTube and the Library of Congress has a fantastic collection of images from the time.

Read this book in conjunction with John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath."

There was so much in this book that kept pulling me back in: the invention of the vacuum combined with prohibition led to using corn to make moonshine.
Environmentalists were ignored, and America singlehandedly encouraged the erosion of the land which led to poverty and death for millions.
Politics and media took turns painting their version of the events.
The Statue of Liberty wore the dirt of the plains on her shoulders like epaulets.
This kept me mesmerized and saddened.

I loved the beginning of this. I learned a ton of new things. As the book went, it started to feel repetitive and I don't think much new was added. The end became interesting again. A pretty good look at a very unfamiliar piece of American history.

I can't seem to get away from American history non fiction! The author uses exactly the kind of voice I prefer history writers use: A careful balance between storytelling and informing. He brought these survivors' stories alive with an economy of words...a rare skill. As for the subject, I had no idea how catastrophic these years were. It is a wonder that everyone forced to live in the panhandle during that time didn't go stark raving mad.

Heartbreaking account of the hubris and stubbornness of the great plains farmers who refused to leave the area hardest hit by the Dust Bowl. With our current refusal to lay off the Ogallala aquifer, we could see this again.