Plot Summary

Dust Bowl

Donald Worster
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Dust Bowl

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1979

Book Brief

Donald Worster

Dust Bowl

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1979
Book Details
Pages

304

Format

Book • Nonfiction

Setting

Great Plains • 1930s

Publication Year

1979

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

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Super Short Summary

In Dust Bowl, Donald Worster analyzes the causes, effects, and legacy of the Dust Bowl in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, demonstrating how the disaster eroded the soil and impacted all aspects of life. He attributes the catastrophe to the United States' relentless industrial productivity and government-sanctioned land exploitation, arguing that it exacerbated the Great Depression and highlighting the need for cautious, scientific, and holistic environmental management. The book includes topics related to economic depression, poverty, disease, and death.

Informative

Melancholic

Challenging

Contemplative

Dark

Reviews & Readership

4.0

1,068 ratings

66%

Loved it

24%

Mixed feelings

9%

Not a fan

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Review Roundup

Donald Worster's Dust Bowl receives praise for its thorough research, insightful analysis, and compelling narrative on the ecological disaster. Critics appreciate its academic rigor and accessible prose but note it may be dense for general readers. Some argue it overemphasizes environmental determinism. Overall, it's a significant contribution to environmental history.

Who should read this

Who Should Read Dust Bowl?

Readers who relish The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck or The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan will find Dust Bowl by Donald Worster captivating. Ideal for those intrigued by environmental history, agriculture, and economic impacts of the 1930s crises, this book provides a comprehensive, scholarly perspective on the Dust Bowl era.

4.0

1,068 ratings

66%

Loved it

24%

Mixed feelings

9%

Not a fan

Book Details
Pages

304

Format

Book • Nonfiction

Setting

Great Plains • 1930s

Publication Year

1979

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

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