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This was Courtney's birthday book for 2010 - I read this book for her birthday.
The Dust Bowl is considered to be the worst natural disaster in American history, according to the book. It lasted several years, and also happened in the midst of the Great Depression.
The problems with the land were mostly due to a wheat boom in the late 20s, where the land was ripped up for farming. Then the ecosystem that took thousands of years to develop was thrown off, and Indians who knew how to survive on the Plains were driven out.
Most people actually stayed on the Plains during this time, because they could call the land their own. But if they left, they would have nothing. But they should have left because the dust caused a health problem called dust pnemonia, and the land would not produce anything for years.
Huge dust storms came, cattle died from dust inhalation, and then swarms of grasshoppers came and ate every living plant. Pretty much when they thought times were at their worst, something worse happened, such as scorching heat and no rain.
The New Deal gave people hope (but also paved the way for Big Government - not in the book!).
This book follows the lives of 4-5 families and how they made it through the tough times.
I liked it.
Just to be sure...this is not a bae of fiction corret?
ReplyDeleteI find it funny how this paragrah...
"The problems with the land were mostly due to a wheat boom in the late 20s, where the land was ripped up for farming. Then the ecosystem that took thousands of years to develop was thrown off, and Indians who knew how to survive on the Plains were driven out."
Demonstrates how humans can have an impact on the ecosystem yet so many today dispute the concept of climate change being anything other than a natural occurance.
No, not fiction.
ReplyDeleteYes I do agree with you that there could be some parallels between the 30s and now. When people were ruining the environment and were unaware of it, and even if they were aware, were not interested in changing, because they were making so much money from it. I think the conservative argument would be that a major government regulation would be encroaching on personal freedoms. But in the case of the 30s, those personal freedoms eventually were very harmful to everyone's health and to the national economy. So some regulation would have been in the best interest of everyone and of the country.
So I don't really know if it is the same case now. If so, what is the modern version of too much farming? Too much consumption of oil and filling the world with trash that doesn't go away?
uh ... can i borrow the book? i'd really like to read it. thanks.
ReplyDelete