Synopses & Reviews
A speck of dust is a tiny thing. In fact, five of them could fit into the period at the end of this sentence.
On a clear, warm Sunday, April 14, 1935, a wild wind whipped up millions upon millions of these specks of dust to form a dusterand#8212;a savage stormand#8212;on America's high southern plains.
The sky turned black, sand-filled winds scoured the paint off houses and cars, trains derailed, and electricity coursed through the air. Sand and dirt fell like snowand#8212;people got lost in the gloom and suffocated . . . and that was just the beginning.
Don Brown brings the Dirty Thirties to life with kinetic, highly saturated, and lively artwork in this graphic novel of one of America's most catastrophic natural events: the Dust Bowl.
Review
* andquot;From its enticing, dramatic cover to its brown endpapers to a comical Grant Wood-esque final image, this is a worthy contribution to the nonfiction shelves.andquot;
andmdash;Kirkus, starred review
andquot;A magnificent overview of this chapter in U.S. history.andquot;
andmdash;School Library Journal
andquot;The tale of the decade-long drought that laid waste to American plains and ruined the lives of countless farmers is a somber read, but Brown devotes himself to telling it well.andquot;
andmdash;Publishers Weekly
* andquot;Anyone looking for an exemplar of how comics can bring a true story compellingly to lifeandmdash;with depth and sophisticationandmdash;need look no further than Don Brownand#39;s account of the epic natural disaster of the 1930s, the Dust Bowl.andquot;
andmdash;The Bulletin of the Center for Childrenand#39;s Books, starred review
* andquot;Concise and clear in imagery, text, and layout, Brownand#39;s nonfiction examination of the Dust Bowl contextualizes its genesis in geological and cultural history, the dynamics of its climatological presentation, and the affects on both the landscape and Depression-era High Plains farmers. . . . a complete visual package.andquot;
andmdash;Booklist, starred review
* andquot;This is a solid nonfiction graphic-novel debut.andquot;
andmdash;The Horn Book Magazine, starred review
andquot;[A] careful and grim account of an environmental catastrophe.andquot;
andmdash;The New York Times Book Review
Synopsis
Before global warming, there was dust. In the 1930s, dangerous black storms swept through the Great Plains. Created by drought and reckless farming, these lethal storms were part of an environmental, economic, and human catastrophe that changed the course of American history. In riveting, accessible prose, an acclaimed historian explains the causes behind the disaster and explores the Dust Bowl's impact, from a rich cultural legacy to the visionary conservation that would finally offer hope to the Plains.
Synopsis
In the 1930's, great rolling walls of dust swept across the Great Plains. The storms buried crops, blinded animals, and suffocated children. It was a catastrophe that would change the course of American history as people struggled to survive in this hostile environment, or took the the roads as Dust Bowl refugees.
Here, in riveting, accessible prose, and illustrated with moving historical quotations and photographs, acclaimed historian Albert Marrin explains the causes behind the disaster and investigates the Dust Bowl's imact on the land and the people. Both a tale of natural destruction and a tribute to those who refused to give up, this is a beautiful exploration of an important time in our country's past.
Synopsis
Don Brown brings the Dirty Thirties to life in this gripping graphic novel account of one of America's most catastrophic natural events: The Dust Bowl.
About the Author
Don Brown is the award-winning author and illustrator of many picture book biographies. He has been widely praised for his resonant storytelling and his delicate watercolor paintings that evoke the excitement, humor, pain, and joy of lives lived with passion. School Library Journal has called him and#8220;a current pacesetter who has put the finishing touches on the standards for storyographies.and#8221; He lives in New York with his family.