The plains of Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Colorado were once vast grasslands with deep roots in the soil of a territory with little rainfall and constant winds.  During the 1930s Depression years, farm families who dominated the area struggled to increase wheat crops by removing the natural grasses.  A drought, high temperatures, and high winds soon ripped off the top soil, spreading tons of dirt and dust over buildings and the land.  The resulting disaster killed humans and animals, blacked out skies, and isolated whole towns.  Timothy Egan examines the causes and effects of what ignorance and greed can do to the land that must sustain us.  We've all heard of the Okies and Arkies who headed west to escape the Dust Bowl devastation.  The Worst Hard Time is the story of those who stayed behind and the terrible toll they paid. 
Softcover, 352 pgs.