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.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Leather bound dictionary:
This item makes a nice graduation gift - particularly for the high school graduate going on to college. Because it is leather bound, it can be imprinted with the recipients name. Most book stores can advise you where imprinting is available.
Captivating and prophetic:
Seldom has an author brought forth a moment in time with such vivid detail, solid research, and compassion. The Dust Bowl is brought back to life in Mr. Egan's amazing hands. Drawing the reader back to dreadful time in Amerixan history that has much to teach the readers of 2009.
The Worst Hard Time:
The Worst Hard Time reveals the overwhelming challenges of the first immigrants who came to the Great American Desert to carve out a life. The descriptive quality of the text draws the reader into the horrendous conditions the settlers faced in their quest to survive. An informative story for any reader interested in the history of America.
Shows how little the people who run this country care:
Facing the biggest crisis since the Great Depression, this book should serve as a warning to us about how little those who run this country care for the lives of working people, farmers, and entire regions of the country. A whole region of the country was allowed to sink into total poverty, death, and destruction. Towns were abandoned, farmersm on what had been the richest lands in the world a few years previous, starved to death. As a teacher I hear other teachers tell me that with public jobs we are... more info
