Price: $18.99 - $11.39
(as of Apr 21, 2025 17:53:29 UTC – Details)
This National Book Award–winning story, a tour de force of historical reportage, rescues an iconic chapter of American history—the Dust Bowl that terrorized the High Plains in the darkest years of the Depression—from the shadows.
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.
Publisher : Mariner Books Classics; Illustrated edition (September 1, 2006)
Language : English
Paperback : 352 pages
ISBN-10 : 0618773479
ISBN-13 : 978-0618773473
Reading age : 14 years and up
Item Weight : 12.8 ounces
Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.75 x 8.25 inches
Customers say
Customers find this book to be a riveting true history that reads like a novel, with well-written and evocative prose that delivers detailed accounts of the Great Plains. The story features interesting first-hand accounts of hearty survivors, and customers appreciate the character development that moves from person to person. While some customers describe it as a monument to human endurance, others find it heartbreaking, and while some consider it a fast-paced read, others find it difficult to read. The environmental content receives mixed reactions, with some appreciating how it combines environmental issues with historical facts, while others view it as an ecological disaster.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
