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.

It was unreal to read about the hardships of the people when you consider all that was happening in the other parts of the U.S. When I heard about this in history class, it was just a few sentences stating that it took place.

Ok, this book is not exactly a thriller or any other kind of page-turner, but I still found it extremely interesting. Timothy Egan did an excellent job of explaining the process by which the Dust Bowl was created and in sharing the vivid accounts of those who lived through it. From an environmental perspective, the "story" was as fascinating as it was disturbing, specifically because the problem was so preventable. Prior to reading The Worst Hard Time, I didn't understand exactly what the Dust Bowl really meant, but these descriptions really bring it to life in a terrifying way. I also wasn't familiar with the current state of the high plains and I was disappointed (to say the least) to learn that, for the most part, the efforts to reverse the damage were unsuccessful.

It's especially upsetting to read about the drought while experiencing a severe drought here in California. I'm certainly more motivated to take action to conserve water through personal use but also to speak up about state policies regarding the cost and efficiency of water usage.

My only real "complaint" is that I found it pretty challenging to follow all of the families and their stories from one chapter to the next, but it's understandable considering these weren't fictional characters. Perhaps it would've helped to edit out superfluous details. I think it would be easier to follow in a film version, which I'd love to see!

Overall - I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!

I was worried that a historical non-fiction examination of the Dust Bowl would be a (wait for it….) DRY read.



I know, puns are the worst. Especially when they make light of some really horrific stuff. But if the people of Texas and Oklahoma could find reasons to get out of bed in the morning in 1935 after their livestock had suffocated from sand and dirt storms, and shaking your neighbor's hand would give you an overwhelming electrical shock, and getting caught in a duster could literally make you go blind…then yeah, we can find humor in this tragedy.

I listened to this book on tape and found myself idling in the car sometimes to justify getting to the end of a chapter. I loved this book so dang much. I think some of the passages that shocked me the most were the descriptions of approaching dusters, particularly Black Sunday. It sounded like a horror film. And yet it was also balanced -- it fairly pointed out that this environmental catastrophe was mostly caused by men and the US Government's ignorance/ hubris, and that common sense and science probably could have prevented much of the wreckage.

Oh, and also, there was a lot of racism. The book talks about it a little bit, but skimps over a lot of the "cultural details" of the time. This is not to say that "Okies" deserved the Dust Bowl because they were racists, but painting American farmers as simple, open-minded and gentle folks is definitely a white washed version of the truth. I am glad Egan made an attempt to share some of these alternative (aka non-white) perspectives, and showed us a few of the warts on the Great Southern Plains' landscape.

All in all, if you want to supplement your historical knowledge of the the Dust Bowl in a fairly painless and interesting way, I'd recommend this bad boy for sure.