Since I'm a total nerd, I decided to share about a book I read recently. The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan caught my eye as I was leaving the library one day. It was a National Book Award Winner, which doesn't necessarily mean the book will be a good one, but it was worth a try!
This is a nonfiction account of the Dust Bowl. The book begins with the history behind the settling of the Great Plains region, and then leads into the World War I era, the 1920's, and finally the Great Depression. The majority of the book takes place around Dalhart, Texas, Boise City, Oklahoma, and Baca County Colorado. The author suggests a cause behind the formation of the Dust Bowl and essentially blames the government for encouraging the destroying of native grass in order to plant more wheat.
The book is not a "fun" read, of course, but I really enjoyed it. I don't know much about the Dust Bowl. I have visited with Grandpa Earl & Grandma Lois about what they remember. Now I'm going to have to ask more questions!
I'm not sure that this book presents the situation without bias, but it is an interesting viewpoint. I think I might look for a few more books on the topic and see what else I learn.
3 comments:
I read this book a couple of years ago (thanks, Karin!) and really enjoyed it also. I heartily recommend it - thanks for the review, Gwen!
Sounds like an interesting one, Gwen. Thanks for sharing it. (And if you're a "nerd", it must run in the family as we all love to read and exchange book ideas!)
Maybe we should start this as a monthly feature. Wouldn't it be fun to have someone do a book review every month? Volunteers?? Mom just read "The Shack" which is on the bestseller list. Maybe she'd like to tell us her opinion of it :)
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