This book is centered around the 1930s, the era of The Great Depression. While the Depression affected everyone in various ways, one of the things that was extremely impactful was the Dust Bowl. The Dust Bowl was a period where severe dust storms that hit the western United States (and Canada). I always thought that the dust storms were attributed to only drought, until I read this book. Of course, there was a significant period of drought, coming in three waves. I learned a great deal about dryland farming, and the ways in which you can prevent erosion...which were not implemented during this time period as they should have been. I also learned about the impact on the soil and region from settlers that had relocated to the area to begin farming operations. This combination of factors intensified the effects of the financial problems and lack of work that is characterized by the Depression. I cannot imagine how hard life was for people experiencing this, but this book does a great job of opening up insight into that.  

This book is on The Last Podcast On The Left reading list, for those of you who follow that. The description of the trials and tribulations of people living and trying to survive in these conditions is wonderfully painted. The author put a lot of time and effort into researching this event, and the detail that is provided about the life experiences of the families and communities of those mentioned in the book is above par. I've had this book for a while, but since I am trying to get through all of my unread items and downsize for moving, I thought this would be a great time to pick it up. I'm trying to read a lot of the shorter books first, and I am so glad that I picked this one up finally. It was really informative, and I have a new appreciation for farming methods that I never had before.