The dust storms that terrorized the High Plains in the darkest years of the Depression were like nothing ever seen before or since. Timothy Egan’s critically acclaimed account rescues this iconic chapter of American history from the shadows in a tour de force of historical reportage. Following a dozen families and their communities through the rise and fall of the region, Egan tells of their desperate attempts to carry on through blinding black dust blizzards, crop failure, and the death of loved ones. Brilliantly capturing the terrifying drama of catastrophe, Egan does equal justice to the human characters who become his heroes, “the stoic, long-suffering men and women whose lives he opens up with urgency and respect” (New York Times).
In an era that promises ever-greater natural disasters, The Worst Hard Time is “arguably the best nonfiction book yet” (Austin Statesman Journal) on the greatest environmental disaster ever to be visited upon our land and a powerful cautionary tale about the dangers of trifling with nature.
As a 12 yr old, I only remember my parents' concerns about the depression of the 30's and the fact that my father voted for a democrat for the first time--F. D. Roosevelt. I remember " hoboes"; men without jobs who stopped at our door for food. The book helped me understand what my families and others went through.A very good book
I knew about the Dust Bowl, but I just didn't realize how bad it really was and how lasting the damage. I grew up in California and heard the word "Okie" used as a derogatory adjective, but I didn't know why these people were so poor and desperate or why they were coming here. This book is a must-read if you want to understand the development of the West.
