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Informative,
Insightful,
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The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl
by Timothy Egan

Published: 2006-09-01
Paperback : 340 pages
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54 clubs reading this now
13 members have read this book
Recommended to book clubs by 5 of 5 members
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. ...
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Introduction

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.

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Member Reviews

Overall rating:
 
 
by Lori S. (see profile) 11/08/21

 
by peg t. (see profile) 02/08/20

 
by angie s. (see profile) 09/12/16

 
by jason b. (see profile) 04/09/14

 
  "The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan"by cheryl s. (see profile) 10/22/10

 
  "The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl"by ruth h. (see profile) 09/18/10

Says so much about what we humans do to endanger the environment without thinking. Historical, but a timeless message.

 
  "Vintage Prose gives The Wosrt Hard Time a 3.0 out of 5"by Diana C. (see profile) 09/01/10

Those who read or completed the book thought that for a history book this read fairly well. Using partcular survivors from did towns was a good way for the story to unfold. One member stated she could... (read more)

 
  "The Worst Hard Time-great nonfiction read"by Debra U. (see profile) 07/17/09

I am a German from Russia. I am a second generation born American. And yes my great relative got out of Russia to avoid the draft. I don't blame him! But moving to the book, very informative and historical.... (read more)

 
  "america's dusty past"by Shellie F. (see profile) 11/18/08

The book was very insightful and well written on a time gone by often not remembered.

 
  "Fascinating history of how the Dust Bowl disaster in the 1930's personally affected the lives of a dozen people."by Bill N. (see profile) 10/15/08

This book was well researched and written. Egan is able to turn scattered bits of information into heart-rending stories of the unimaginable hardships these people endured. All of us, even... (read more)

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