The Worst Hard Time

The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl

By: Timothy Egan

Narrated by: Jacob York

In a tour de force of historical reportage, Timothy Egan’s National Book Award-winning story rescues an iconic chapter of American history from the shadows.

The dust storms that terrorized the High Plains in the darkest years of the Depression were like nothing ever seen before or since. Following a dozen families and their communities through the rise and fall of the region, Timothy 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, he 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 reminder about the dangers of trifling with nature.

©2006 Timothy Egan (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

Was I Listening to NPR?

I have a love-hate relationship with the book. I grew up in Oklahoma. So the Dust Bowl was something that stood out very clearly. I’m a history teacher in Tennessee now so I don’t get the opportunity to teach more than a day about the Dust Bowl. This book definitely added to be knowledge of anecdotal stories. It also mitigated me to delve deeper into some other issues the author brings out.

The narrator was…I really don’t know how to describe his voice and performance. I felt like I was listening to a segment on NPR. And I’m not a fan of NPR. His voice was exceptionally smooth and soothing, even rhythmic. But it got old after a while. By halfway through the book I was letting it run just to get through it.

However, in the narrators defense, I wasn’t expecting a book about the individual stories of people in the Dust Bowl. I was thinking it would be more a book about the overall causes and effects of the Dust Bowl. That’s my fault for more researching the book enough before buying it.

So the real question is, would I reread it and/or recommend it? Yes, on both accounts. I found the stories very interesting and personal. I hope to use some of the information next year in my lecture covering the topic.

How they suffered

Tough book about tough people! Amazing life they led during the dust bowl. Difficult to imagine surviving during the dust bowl.

Fascinating

I wanted to know more about the time my mother and her family were forced to leave their dust-blown Nebraska farm in the 1930’s. The book’s personal stories and historical and environmental context made her experience more vivid for me, and heart-breaking.

Astonishing how quickly man destroyed a centuries old environment

The history of the dust bowl is a lesson for today. We cannot ignore what is happening around the world with excess fertilizer of the soil. The runoff is poisonous to our oceans. Dead zones and algae blooms are a direct result of this practice. The dust bowl was a direct result of man’s greed for profit from growing crops. We need to pay attention to what is happening.

Tragic and essential reading

This magnificently documented and thoroughly devastating account of how human greed created the Dust Bowl should be required reading for anyone who thinks that free market economics will save the planet from climate change.

Solid book

Hard times, Good book. Interesting to hear how difficult things were. Well written and worth the listen.

I would not have lasted

This book really put into perspective just how bad the dust bowl was. I had to pause the book and look at images and then just shake my head. It’s really hard to imagine anyone surviving at all.

There is also unbiased information on the farming practices and how/why govt involvement began. I like that he leaves it up to the reader to make their own conclusions.

Poignant Historical Account

The Worst Hard Time is worth every listening minute. The author delved into the lives and stories of families who were drawn to the Dust Bowl region of the United States in the 20th Century. Timothy Egan looked down the barrel of history and did not turn aside. His characters are so precise they would be easily recognizable to his listeners. Further, his weather observations had me running my tongue over my front teeth to remove the grit and grime when the clouds invaded Indian Territory. Excellent and informative book!

very good story

the harsh times, bore by many people, a good story indeed
you think you got it bad?

Title tells it all

Until you read/listen to this book, you don’t have a clue to what the people went through during the Dust Bowl. This is not an uplifting message, but one that needs to be heard. A very painful time in American history.