hanareddy 's review for:

The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan

3.0

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An impressive amount of research went into this book, but i feel it was poorly constructed. Aside from the three chronological sections, the contents was a hodgepodge of tales about the absolute suffering of plains residents. The account from the Hartwell diary is just plain lazy reporting/writing. I found myself wanting the book to be reorganized. I wonder if Egan spent so much time on the research that he had to throw it all together to meet his publishibg deadline? That said, it does convey the amazing story of catastrophic ecological destruction by humans through failed government policies and landowner actions.