Droughts & Dreams: Stories of Self-Reliance During America’s Darkest Times

by Glenn Beck (Foreword)

October 1929 marked the beginning of a 10-year slide into an economic abyss America nearly didn’t recover from. Years-long drought coupled with relentless dust storms wreaked havoc on the Great Plains region and forced the American people to dig deep within in order to persevere and survive.

Droughts & Dreams contains intimate family stories from that generation. Many are first-hand accounts of people who not only survived, but who also did it well. Tucked inside these pages, you’ll find timeless survival lessons, tips and even favorite from-scratch recipes.

The memoirs in this book are not dreary recollections of the disgruntled. Rather, they are honest tales of families rediscovering how to live simply, be self-reliant and appreciate what they had.

Perhaps 80-year old Jack Bolkovak stated it best when he said, “The Depression was a tough time. But it was a great beginning to life. It taught us that life is not easy and to appreciate all that we have. We had food, clothing, shelter and a loving family. That was all we needed.”

“Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.”-Edmund Burke

Genres: Nonfiction, History

412 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 8, 2015

About the author

Glenn Edward Lee Beck is one of America's leading radio and television personalities. His quick wit, candid opinions and engaging personality have made The Glenn Beck Program the third highest rated radio program in America and Glenn Beck, one of the most successful new shows on the Fox News Channel. His unique blend of modern-day storytelling and insightful views on current events allowed him to achieve the extraordinary feat of having #1 New York Times bestsellers in both fiction and non-fiction. Beck also stars in a live stage show and is the publisher of Fusion magazine.

Online, he is the editor of GlennBeck.com and the publisher of TheBlaze.com.

Beck is the author of six consecutive #1 New York Times Bestsellers including his latest book, the thriller The Overton Window. When The Christmas Sweater, his first novel, debuted at #1 on the fiction list, Beck became one of a handful of authors to write books that reached #1 on both the fiction and non-fiction NYT lists.

Reviews

[Drake · Rating 1 out of 5]

Keep in mind that this compilation of other people's stories is no more than a marketing tool for Matt (Redhawk) Parker who hawks "survival" food. Neither Parker nor Beck spent any time on this book; it was put together by outsourcers who were not very particular about voice, grammar or consistency. Not horrible as a freebie if you already decided to hoard some dried food, but as a real book, it leaves a lot to be desired.Parker is no more the author of this book than he is a native American. He's a white guy from Indiana who is capitalizing on people's fears.

[Peter Pactor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Droughts & Dreams is a collection of interesting and readable stories of life in the Great Depression. It has an underlying goal, as the subtitle suggests, of promoting personal self-reliance and independence. It does that, but it leaves out others struggling through the depression who lived in the cities and didn't have the resources of those who lived on farms. In some ways, I feel the book skews the complete picture of the hard times.

I enjoyed the book and I did find the information in it worth while.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Droughts and Dreams is a collection of different peoples experiences concerning the depression of the 1930's. I think it's awesome that these stories were collected into one book. Also included among the accounts are photos, depression era recipes and natural remedies. I learned quite a bit about that time period from this book. In case you're not a big Glen Beck fan; he and Matt Redhawk basically just wrote the forwards.

[Beverly Dennis-jeffas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth the read

Five stars for helping to put things into prospective. Reading the personal memories about the hard times that people went through during the Great Depression, and the "pull together" attitude they had that got them through is inspirational.

[Diann Morningstar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book.

I had been looking for a book like this that had personal tales of the Great Depression. This book had many different points of view. It also had many recipes and tips from that time. I feel too many ideas from then had been lost and this book was published just in time, because we are headed toward another depression.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Numerous short stories of Depression-era experiences

People from all parts of the country relate how the Great Depression affected their families and how they survived. Promoting self-reliance, hard work, perseverance, compassion, entrepreneurship, this book teaches valuable lessons to high school readers and adults.

[J Layne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting to read these real stories of people who survived the Depression. It opens a window on a time that is unknown to me and unknown especially to this pampered generation of Millennials. The things these people had to do for everyday survival are almost unbelievable. Indeed, their every waking moment was geared toward survival.

[Mary K Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting History

This book puts faces and stories on those people that lived through the hardest times we've ever had. I'm not sure that the true impact can be conveyed , but it's a good read.

[James Brisson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book.

Lengthy and informative. Personal stories help paint a picture of the reality, good and bad. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in history.

[jeffrey d. thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

Excellent read. Reminded me of the stories my grandparents used to tell me when I asked about those times. Always listened when I was younger.

[June Mizell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stories

I loved these stories of these brave men and women. Hard times made them stronger. These times left lasting impressions that carried with them for life

[Daryl Knoch · Rating 5 out of 5]

History of the common man

This is a snapshot of a sad time in our history, and a lesson for people today. It happened before and it can happen again. Learn and prepare.

[Bobbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. I always wanted my Dad to write down the story of his experience during the depression but he never did, nor did he speak of it much

[brenda glasspool · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting

From one generation to the next history is forgotten. Telling and retelling of these lives is a great reminder of who America is