Book summary

Many Americans know about "the Dust Bowl" from the songs of Woody Guthrie (who experienced it) or from the famous book and film of Steinbeck's THE GRAPES OF WRATH. In THE WORST HARD TIME, Timothy Egan reminds us that, while many left the Dust Bowl to start a new life out West, others chose to remain and live as best as they could. Many died; others made it through, and Egan's account of 12 families who did is based on interviews with survivors, many in their nineties, who tell firsthand what it was like. A New York Times Notable Book of the Year for 2006. Winner of the 2006 National Book Award for Nonfiction.

Media reviews

"Stark and powerful, a gripping if depressing read and a timely reminder that a nature abused can exact a terrible retribution."