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Dear America
Survival in the Storm: The Dust Bowl Diary of Grace Edwards
In sixteen-year-old Katelan Janke's first Dear America book, we meet Grace Edwards, a little girl growing up in the heart of the Texas panhandle, in the midst of the Dust Bowl. Fierce, dust-filled winds ravage the plains and threaten the town's agricultural livelihood, creating poverty and despair among Grace's neighbors. Will her family's farm survive?
190 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2002
28 people are currently reading
2435 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 135 reviews
August 29, 2016
This teen wrote the events of dust bowl panhandle area Texas in her diary. It can be read in one sitting and is super simple language. She relates the weather conditions, her family's difficulties in keeping the dust out of the house (this was truly horrendous) and the crop and economics of the farmers, just like her father. She relates in detail the dust pneumonia realities and the death of children. One of them her sister's best friend. She takes part in the hospital placements and care for some of those afflicted.
It taught me a few facts that I knew from other "eyes" but this one was still worth the read.
Her family's past neighbors that moved to CA for work- their letters were filled with detail. And I thought it was something how respectful people were to get "a job". Even if the job entailed work where their kids who had little or no food were still not allowed to eat the fallen and rotting fruit on site during the workday. And the "help" sent by government? Buying your dying cow or pig?
Regardless, growing all that wheat for WWI took its toll. And burning wheat stub down before planting the same thing again! What a bitter lesson.
My brother experienced sand storms in Iraq and he has pictures. I can't imagine how awful that dark must have been. And is.
It taught me a few facts that I knew from other "eyes" but this one was still worth the read.
Her family's past neighbors that moved to CA for work- their letters were filled with detail. And I thought it was something how respectful people were to get "a job". Even if the job entailed work where their kids who had little or no food were still not allowed to eat the fallen and rotting fruit on site during the workday. And the "help" sent by government? Buying your dying cow or pig?
Regardless, growing all that wheat for WWI took its toll. And burning wheat stub down before planting the same thing again! What a bitter lesson.
My brother experienced sand storms in Iraq and he has pictures. I can't imagine how awful that dark must have been. And is.
March 25, 2022
3.5
These are just as interesting and fun as I remember. I really liked getting to know the main character and her family and friends while also learning about this historical event. For the most part it is light hearted but there is some serious things discussed. I also think some very good life lessons for children to learn. I also like that at the end of the book there is a more concise history and some pictures.
These are just as interesting and fun as I remember. I really liked getting to know the main character and her family and friends while also learning about this historical event. For the most part it is light hearted but there is some serious things discussed. I also think some very good life lessons for children to learn. I also like that at the end of the book there is a more concise history and some pictures.
July 27, 2014
This book made me of "Grapes of Wrath" by Steinbeck and "Texas" by Michener.
Six years of dust and depression. Finding good out of bad or no so good sitution.
Milking cows, cooking by wood stove, canning and vegetable gardening.
Simple things that most of us do not know how to do.
California not the "promised land" as many thought.
Political & Governmental programs that worked and didn't work.
School lunch and Soil conservation good. others not so.
Made me thankful for what I have today.
Family and Friends important in what we do.
Community helping members of that community.
Churches and meaningful walking out of love thy neighbor and the cost of that walk and love.
Six years of dust and depression. Finding good out of bad or no so good sitution.
Milking cows, cooking by wood stove, canning and vegetable gardening.
Simple things that most of us do not know how to do.
California not the "promised land" as many thought.
Political & Governmental programs that worked and didn't work.
School lunch and Soil conservation good. others not so.
Made me thankful for what I have today.
Family and Friends important in what we do.
Community helping members of that community.
Churches and meaningful walking out of love thy neighbor and the cost of that walk and love.
September 3, 2010
This one I thought was particularly good. I am from Kansas so we were right in the heart of the Dust Bowl. For my degree in college I had to take Kansas History and learning about the Dirty Thirties was really fun an interesting. So I cannot believe I waited so long to read this specific Dear America novel. Grace Edwards is from Dalhart, Texas and in 1935 the Dust Bowl was still four years from getting its first good rain. I like that the author depicted the families as just normal everyday people who happen to have a lot of problems with dust. Also liked that she put the McCallś in there because tenant farming was a big problem because a lot of families could not afford their own land anymore so they had to rent from some big wealthy rancher. Another accurate part of this story was the HUGE problem that dust pneumonia became in the dust affected area of the U.S. A lot of people died because besides moving there was no way to get rid of the dust. One thing I wish the author would have talked about is how bad the dust was on the machinery. Many farmers would lose money because they had to sit out a whole day of planting just to filter all the dust out of their tractors. Anyway still a good story and worth reading.
January 4, 2018
4.5/5 stars probably one of my favorite "Dear America" books ♡
January 19, 2013
This diary about living in the Texas' Dust Bowl was a wonderful read.
What I find fascinating about it, is that when I was about halfway through the book, I discovered that it was written by a fifteen-year-old girl. I was impressed by this! I hadn't detected anything in the writing style that seemed unusual. The book seemed just as accomplished as if an adult wrote it.
The author, Katelan Janke was in the 6th grade when she entered Scholastic's Dear America writing contest. It was only a 5 page entry that eased her into winning the contest. Two years later, after much research in her hometown of Dalhart, Texas, her full-length book was published into the Dear America series.
I found Katelan's story pretty astonishing.
A fictional girl named Grace Edwards kept this diary, called "Survival in the Storm". Her story is about how life was in 1935 during the Dust Bowl in Texas. It drove a lot of people West, to California. Many gave up on Texas during the long drought, but Grace's family stayed strong, and wouldn't budge from their home.
Would that choice turn out right in the end?
What I find fascinating about it, is that when I was about halfway through the book, I discovered that it was written by a fifteen-year-old girl. I was impressed by this! I hadn't detected anything in the writing style that seemed unusual. The book seemed just as accomplished as if an adult wrote it.
The author, Katelan Janke was in the 6th grade when she entered Scholastic's Dear America writing contest. It was only a 5 page entry that eased her into winning the contest. Two years later, after much research in her hometown of Dalhart, Texas, her full-length book was published into the Dear America series.
I found Katelan's story pretty astonishing.
A fictional girl named Grace Edwards kept this diary, called "Survival in the Storm". Her story is about how life was in 1935 during the Dust Bowl in Texas. It drove a lot of people West, to California. Many gave up on Texas during the long drought, but Grace's family stayed strong, and wouldn't budge from their home.
Would that choice turn out right in the end?
January 7, 2017
What I Liked
My family is from the Panhandle and still lives here today. My grandma told me stories of surviving the Depression and of huddling with her classmates in the basement of her school while a duster turned the sky as black as midnight. She says her teacher let her be the one to shut the cellar latch and it was considered an honor to be chosen for the task.
Because this time period is such a rich part of my family history and geography, it was interesting to read. I was also astonished to discover at the end that it was written by a 15-year-old girl! Her knowledge of history is astounding for such a young age.
What I Didn't Like
While the story does follow a proper plot arc, it becomes full at times. Letters from Grace's friends are put between the pages - but several of them, particularity David Lambert's - seemed pointless to moving the story forward.
As a younger child, I can see why I struggled to fight through this novel more than some of the other Dear America stories - it certainly moves slower. However, I enjoyed it this time around nonetheless.
My family is from the Panhandle and still lives here today. My grandma told me stories of surviving the Depression and of huddling with her classmates in the basement of her school while a duster turned the sky as black as midnight. She says her teacher let her be the one to shut the cellar latch and it was considered an honor to be chosen for the task.
Because this time period is such a rich part of my family history and geography, it was interesting to read. I was also astonished to discover at the end that it was written by a 15-year-old girl! Her knowledge of history is astounding for such a young age.
What I Didn't Like
While the story does follow a proper plot arc, it becomes full at times. Letters from Grace's friends are put between the pages - but several of them, particularity David Lambert's - seemed pointless to moving the story forward.
As a younger child, I can see why I struggled to fight through this novel more than some of the other Dear America stories - it certainly moves slower. However, I enjoyed it this time around nonetheless.
December 13, 2015
The fact that this book was written by a sixteen year old shows that she does have some talent. But this wasn't my absolute favorite Dear America book. It was pretty slow paced and the characters were a bit on the bland side. The historical facts were interesting especially because my grandparents grew up during this time period so I can see how they might have lived during this time period.
September 10, 2015
This is one book that I re-read every so often.
March 13, 2017
i would give it 100 stars but there is only 5
August 7, 2019
a very good book although it got very sad at times it actually made me cry at one part
April 22, 2021
I think this one nailed it for a book about this topic, especially for its target age demographic. It’s a little simplistic, but as many of the best books in this series does, it highlights the life in a time where it would be easy to fixate on the dark parts. In the Great Depression, and especially in the Dust Bowl, it would be easy to tell a story about the terror and misery of the endless dust, the desperation of families, the brutal choices they faced and things they did without. This story included all those things, but also school competitions, new friends, the excitement of a new dress, and regular farm antics. Would absolutely recommend to any middle reader!
May 1, 2024
A great supplementary read to
Out of the Dust
- and much less depressing - this was another very well-done look into the Dust Bowl. I almost couldn't believe it when I learned the author was only fifteen when she wrote this book! I wasn't able to find anything online when I searched her name, so unless she's since begun writing under a penname or changed her name, I have to assume this was a one-off for her.
January 30, 2019
it's okay and supposed to be a fictional account of how real life would have been in that time period. in this instance 1935 Texas during the dust bowl. but one thing that irked me is at the beginning she says they have to be sparing with the chickens then a few die from an animal getting in the hen house and still the mother is making chicken all the time it seems. so that's why it's only four stars.
November 25, 2022
An informative and emotional book about living in the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression. Grace Edwards was a realistic character whom I felt for. I really rooted for her and her family. There were moments of heartbreak but also great growth for all the characters, especially Grace. This is one of my favorite books in the Dear America series. I'll be reading it again someday.
Read
October 24, 2023my literal favorite book as a child
November 1, 2014
This Dear America novel of a farm family in Dalhart, Texas in 1935, written by fifteen year old Katlan Janke is presented in the form of a child's diary.
Grace Edwards receives her diary on Saturday, February 16, 1935 as a gift from her friend Helen for her twelfth birthday. She makes her first entry the following day sitting alone in the hayloft. We learn that her father is a farmer, that they have their own spread just outside of Dalhart, Texas, and that besides her mother, she also has a little sister, Ruth, who is seven years old. Her parents gave her the book Anne of Green Gables for her birthday and Ruth gave her a hand-made bookmark.
The wind howls relentlessly because this family lives at the southern edge of No Man's Land, what later was called The Dust Bowl. Compared to other families, the Edwards are actually doing reasonably well. They aren't wealthy, like the McCalls, whose daughter Sadie is always lording it over the other kids in the one room schoolhouse, nor dirt poor like the Walkers, whose daughter is Helen, but they scratch along without government aid. Somehow, they usually manage get enough out of their garden to can vegetables for the winter and her father usually gets just enough wheat out of the dust-blown fields to make do. They own two cows, so the kids actually get fresh milk most of the time.
But they don't have money for the picture show and the girls and their Mama have to sew new dresses from seed bags. When Daddy goes to buy seed, typically the family goes along so they can make sure they get matching bags for the new clothing. They attend Sunday school and church on most Sundays when the wind isn't blowing too hard and they put on competitive plays when school shuts down before summer.
This is an especially bad year as there are many dust storms that blow through, gigantic black clouds that roll over the land dropping fine, dry topsoil that has been picked up from the drought-stricken prairie farms. Many times these storms go on for hours, turning the land midnight black and accumulating in the lungs of people and their animals. Dust pneumonia is a common illness. Cattle die from inhalation.
Grace's world is torn apart when the Walkers reach the end of the line and head out for California. Losing her best friend is a big blow to Grace and she struggles to comprehend and deal with the loss, but there are bigger problems ahead. Black Sunday occurs on April 14, 1935. A dust storm rising 10,000 feet high and two hundred miles wide descends across No Man's Land. As the family prepares the house by wetting and hanging up sheets across windows and doors to catch the dust, Ruth is sent out to get the rest of the whites off the line. Grace looks for her and sees that she is missing, so she sets out looking for her. Ruth has chased a blowing dish towel. Separated from their family as the storm approaches, the two girls take shelter in the abandoned Walker house. Holding cloth over their faces, they hunker down and try to keep breathing as the storm howls around them.
The book is very well written, especially for a fifteen year old writer. Janke grew up in Dalhart and had local oral sources for original stories, as well as the Dalhart museum for research, including all of the local newspapers of the time. Her re-creation of 1935 is completely believable, not just in the small details of household life, but in her understanding of the weather, the small local society, clothing, farm animals and so forth. Neither Grace, nor any of her family or friends rings false.
There are indeed, many moments of the book that are quite moving and Janke must be accorded a great deal of success in her efforts. I loved the book from beginning to end. If I might find any area of complaint, it's that the great physical pain that these people suffered does not seem quite visceral enough. It is a small complain indeed in a largely successful novel for young adults.
I highly recommend this book, not just for young adults, but for families and general readership. It well-written, moving, and a terrific depiction of The Dust Bowl.
Grace Edwards receives her diary on Saturday, February 16, 1935 as a gift from her friend Helen for her twelfth birthday. She makes her first entry the following day sitting alone in the hayloft. We learn that her father is a farmer, that they have their own spread just outside of Dalhart, Texas, and that besides her mother, she also has a little sister, Ruth, who is seven years old. Her parents gave her the book Anne of Green Gables for her birthday and Ruth gave her a hand-made bookmark.
The wind howls relentlessly because this family lives at the southern edge of No Man's Land, what later was called The Dust Bowl. Compared to other families, the Edwards are actually doing reasonably well. They aren't wealthy, like the McCalls, whose daughter Sadie is always lording it over the other kids in the one room schoolhouse, nor dirt poor like the Walkers, whose daughter is Helen, but they scratch along without government aid. Somehow, they usually manage get enough out of their garden to can vegetables for the winter and her father usually gets just enough wheat out of the dust-blown fields to make do. They own two cows, so the kids actually get fresh milk most of the time.
But they don't have money for the picture show and the girls and their Mama have to sew new dresses from seed bags. When Daddy goes to buy seed, typically the family goes along so they can make sure they get matching bags for the new clothing. They attend Sunday school and church on most Sundays when the wind isn't blowing too hard and they put on competitive plays when school shuts down before summer.
This is an especially bad year as there are many dust storms that blow through, gigantic black clouds that roll over the land dropping fine, dry topsoil that has been picked up from the drought-stricken prairie farms. Many times these storms go on for hours, turning the land midnight black and accumulating in the lungs of people and their animals. Dust pneumonia is a common illness. Cattle die from inhalation.
Grace's world is torn apart when the Walkers reach the end of the line and head out for California. Losing her best friend is a big blow to Grace and she struggles to comprehend and deal with the loss, but there are bigger problems ahead. Black Sunday occurs on April 14, 1935. A dust storm rising 10,000 feet high and two hundred miles wide descends across No Man's Land. As the family prepares the house by wetting and hanging up sheets across windows and doors to catch the dust, Ruth is sent out to get the rest of the whites off the line. Grace looks for her and sees that she is missing, so she sets out looking for her. Ruth has chased a blowing dish towel. Separated from their family as the storm approaches, the two girls take shelter in the abandoned Walker house. Holding cloth over their faces, they hunker down and try to keep breathing as the storm howls around them.
The book is very well written, especially for a fifteen year old writer. Janke grew up in Dalhart and had local oral sources for original stories, as well as the Dalhart museum for research, including all of the local newspapers of the time. Her re-creation of 1935 is completely believable, not just in the small details of household life, but in her understanding of the weather, the small local society, clothing, farm animals and so forth. Neither Grace, nor any of her family or friends rings false.
There are indeed, many moments of the book that are quite moving and Janke must be accorded a great deal of success in her efforts. I loved the book from beginning to end. If I might find any area of complaint, it's that the great physical pain that these people suffered does not seem quite visceral enough. It is a small complain indeed in a largely successful novel for young adults.
I highly recommend this book, not just for young adults, but for families and general readership. It well-written, moving, and a terrific depiction of The Dust Bowl.
February 24, 2011
Survival in the Storm (Dust Bowl) / 0-439-21599-4
I realize that it's a common tactic in children's literature to make the adults in their lives capricious, unfair, or stupid in an attempt to heighten tension and propel drama that might not otherwise happen in the presence of consistent, fair, intelligent adults. But I've come to expect more from the Dear America series, and I am disappointed with "Survival in the Storm".
Grace's parents have always dreamed of owning their own farm and the Texas dust bowl seemed like as good a place as any to settle (or it was all they could afford - the novel doesn't delve deeply into the reasoning here). They rapidly learn the hard way that an environment of constant dust storms scouring the land is not conducive to growing wheat, which is apparently surprising to them. They also note that "dust pneumonia" is steadily infecting most of the folks in the region - a condition similar to the miner's 'black lung' where the lungs become so full of sediment that the person has trouble breathing. Particularly for children and the elderly, the condition is largely fatal.
So, faced with living in a place where farming is almost impossible and the death of your children is highly probable...Grace's father boldly declares that he'll be the last man in the area to give up his dream and move away. As Grace's friends sicken and die from the dust, and as the child death toll climbs, we are at least "comforted" that Grace's father is sticking to his guns. This is frustrating, because a lot of people lived in the dust bowl for good reasons other than sheer stubbornness, and I wish that these reasons had been present in this novel other than some "dream" nonsense that does not take into account that your children are in real danger. And, of course, the fact that Grace's parents refuse to accept any government aid out of pride is equally grating - they just want to pay their taxes in peace and never receive anything in return from the government, which seems like a pretty one-sided relationship between government and governed.
Of course, to also heighten "tension", Grace's parents are unfair and treat Grace and her little sister differently. Grace is expected to grow up immediately, in order to help around the house and with her sister, but Ruth is openly encouraged to stay a little girl forever (even when "being a little girl" causes Grace more work and chores) because she's the baby of the family and they'll not have another one to pamper after she grows up. This is unhealthy for both children and a rather grating way to advance the plot, in my opinion.
I am sure that this book would be reasonably enjoyable for children, but I am disappointed that the novel feels thin, padded these plot tricks, and with almost no substance to explain why so many farmers struggled to eke out some kind of existence in the dust bowl during the Depression.
~ Ana Mardoll
I realize that it's a common tactic in children's literature to make the adults in their lives capricious, unfair, or stupid in an attempt to heighten tension and propel drama that might not otherwise happen in the presence of consistent, fair, intelligent adults. But I've come to expect more from the Dear America series, and I am disappointed with "Survival in the Storm".
Grace's parents have always dreamed of owning their own farm and the Texas dust bowl seemed like as good a place as any to settle (or it was all they could afford - the novel doesn't delve deeply into the reasoning here). They rapidly learn the hard way that an environment of constant dust storms scouring the land is not conducive to growing wheat, which is apparently surprising to them. They also note that "dust pneumonia" is steadily infecting most of the folks in the region - a condition similar to the miner's 'black lung' where the lungs become so full of sediment that the person has trouble breathing. Particularly for children and the elderly, the condition is largely fatal.
So, faced with living in a place where farming is almost impossible and the death of your children is highly probable...Grace's father boldly declares that he'll be the last man in the area to give up his dream and move away. As Grace's friends sicken and die from the dust, and as the child death toll climbs, we are at least "comforted" that Grace's father is sticking to his guns. This is frustrating, because a lot of people lived in the dust bowl for good reasons other than sheer stubbornness, and I wish that these reasons had been present in this novel other than some "dream" nonsense that does not take into account that your children are in real danger. And, of course, the fact that Grace's parents refuse to accept any government aid out of pride is equally grating - they just want to pay their taxes in peace and never receive anything in return from the government, which seems like a pretty one-sided relationship between government and governed.
Of course, to also heighten "tension", Grace's parents are unfair and treat Grace and her little sister differently. Grace is expected to grow up immediately, in order to help around the house and with her sister, but Ruth is openly encouraged to stay a little girl forever (even when "being a little girl" causes Grace more work and chores) because she's the baby of the family and they'll not have another one to pamper after she grows up. This is unhealthy for both children and a rather grating way to advance the plot, in my opinion.
I am sure that this book would be reasonably enjoyable for children, but I am disappointed that the novel feels thin, padded these plot tricks, and with almost no substance to explain why so many farmers struggled to eke out some kind of existence in the dust bowl during the Depression.
~ Ana Mardoll
January 29, 2015
"Survival in the Storm: The Dust Bowl Diary of Grace Edwards" is a book in the Dear America series. It is written by fifteen-year-old Katelan Janke. The diary talks about what it would look like if you were living in the time period of the Dust Bowl. (The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that swept across Colorado, Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.) In Katelan's diary, her family and other families as well, in Texas, are being effected by the Dust Bowl.
Even through 4 years of drought already, and people still expected rain. (Katelan's name in the diary is Grace Edwards). Grace's family had no one but themselves to help themselves- Mom, Dad, Ruth, Grace's little sister, and Grace. This family gives up whatever it takes for them to survive the Dust Bowl. Grace's best friend, Helen, ends up moving to California with her family(, despite all the troubles they've been through). Grace writes,"“My mind feels blank — I don’t know what I'll do without Helen, my dearest companion for more than half my life. I just can't believe Helen's family has let go of their last thread of hope here in Dalhart.”
Weather conditions got worse towards the middle of the book. Grace and Ruth were trapped in their house to stay away from inhaling too much dust outside. Sadly, they get sick and Ruth's best friend, Hannah, dies from dust pneumonia. Both Grace and Ruth have had a piece of their heart torn and lonely.
Many families believed that moving to California would provide them with a better life and opportunity. However, this was not true. Workers got very little pay and it was hard for families to find a place to stay. Families who couldn't find homes had to say in migrant camps where they were called prejudicial names.
This book was very inspirational because it provided a theme of perseverance. Although there was no water or rain for a really long period of time, the Edwards persevered and decided not to move and hope for the best in the future. Hopefully and happily, the Texas panhandle finally rains its first drops of water after a really long time.
I recommend this book to everyone because it helps you visualize an aspect from history, and how families were managing during that time period.
Even through 4 years of drought already, and people still expected rain. (Katelan's name in the diary is Grace Edwards). Grace's family had no one but themselves to help themselves- Mom, Dad, Ruth, Grace's little sister, and Grace. This family gives up whatever it takes for them to survive the Dust Bowl. Grace's best friend, Helen, ends up moving to California with her family(, despite all the troubles they've been through). Grace writes,"“My mind feels blank — I don’t know what I'll do without Helen, my dearest companion for more than half my life. I just can't believe Helen's family has let go of their last thread of hope here in Dalhart.”
Weather conditions got worse towards the middle of the book. Grace and Ruth were trapped in their house to stay away from inhaling too much dust outside. Sadly, they get sick and Ruth's best friend, Hannah, dies from dust pneumonia. Both Grace and Ruth have had a piece of their heart torn and lonely.
Many families believed that moving to California would provide them with a better life and opportunity. However, this was not true. Workers got very little pay and it was hard for families to find a place to stay. Families who couldn't find homes had to say in migrant camps where they were called prejudicial names.
This book was very inspirational because it provided a theme of perseverance. Although there was no water or rain for a really long period of time, the Edwards persevered and decided not to move and hope for the best in the future. Hopefully and happily, the Texas panhandle finally rains its first drops of water after a really long time.
I recommend this book to everyone because it helps you visualize an aspect from history, and how families were managing during that time period.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 21, 2014
All of us have heard of the Dust Bowl era. This is an account of what it was like to have lived through it. Wind pushed sand and dirt into every crack available and women would hang wet sheets in front of windows and doors to catch it. Still, there would be airborn particles that would mix in bread dough while you were kneading it. Milk, cream, and butter would sometimes be gritty, even though it was covered. Those lucky enough with a root cellar, would shelter there with wet towels over their noses and mouths. I had never heard of dust pneumonia, but many elderly and very young died from inhaling too much dust. Livestock suffered as well.
Causes:
The beginning of the Dust Bowl occurred years before the drought. WWI (1916 - 1918)made a high demand for wheat. More than five million acres of prairie were plowed to produce great harvests. When the war ended, the price of wheat fell, so they planted more acres. They burned wheat stubble after harvest. Farmers were pretty much self sufficient, growing everything they needed. They had chickens, cows, pigs, and huge vegetable gardens.
When the Depression of 1929 hit, wheat went from fifty to twenty cents per bushel. It also stopped raining. The brisk winds began to flatten wheat fields, then pick up topsoil. Kansas had black dusters, Oklahoma was reddish, and Colorado and New Mexico was gray. F. D. Roosevelt took office in 1935, and began taking measures to improve soil conservation. Still, the weather bureau reported 192 dust storms between 1933 and 1936 and as much as 850 million tons of top soil lost.
Causes:
The beginning of the Dust Bowl occurred years before the drought. WWI (1916 - 1918)made a high demand for wheat. More than five million acres of prairie were plowed to produce great harvests. When the war ended, the price of wheat fell, so they planted more acres. They burned wheat stubble after harvest. Farmers were pretty much self sufficient, growing everything they needed. They had chickens, cows, pigs, and huge vegetable gardens.
When the Depression of 1929 hit, wheat went from fifty to twenty cents per bushel. It also stopped raining. The brisk winds began to flatten wheat fields, then pick up topsoil. Kansas had black dusters, Oklahoma was reddish, and Colorado and New Mexico was gray. F. D. Roosevelt took office in 1935, and began taking measures to improve soil conservation. Still, the weather bureau reported 192 dust storms between 1933 and 1936 and as much as 850 million tons of top soil lost.
December 10, 2014
"Survival in the Storm:The Dust Bowl Diary of Grace Edwards" is a fantastic Historical novel written by Katelan Janke about how it feels to live during the Great Depression. I would defiantly rate this book 5 stars because I couldn't put the book down and the author, katelan Janke, made the book very easy to understand, made a clear storyline, and made it easy to connect and relate to. I also rated this book 5 stars because unlike other historical novels, This story was actually entraining and kept me interested throughout reading the whole book. Grace Edwards, the protagonist of the story, is a little girl that lives on a farm with her family in the heart of Texas Panhandle. Along with her best friends Helen and David, she also has an enemy, Sadie. Sadie McCall. When reading this story,you will witness how strong of a friendship Grace shares with these people and what will happen to their friendships as you go along through the story. Living this part of Texas, many people live in poverty because their farms cannot thrive in this area. Through the book, this family tries to avoid the dust, but its everywhere. Will this family's farm thrive?
March 1, 2010
At first I wasn't sure how good this new Dear America book would be, since Katelan Janke, the author, is just fifteen years old. But I was pleasantly surprised, since she has written a book just as good as many of the Dear America books written by adult authors. Katelan Janke has written a fictional diary of a young girl living in Katelan's own hometown during the Great Depression. Twelve-year-old Grace Edwards has lived on a farm near Dalhart, Texas for her whole life. But it's 1935, and the region is suffering from a terrible drought as the entire country is devastated by the effects of the Great Depression. Grace describes her daily life in a diary as her family faces hardship and sorrow. She describes their determination to hold on and to never give up hope, even as many of their friends and neighbors abandon their homes in the hopes of finding a better life elsewhere. If you have doubts about reading this book because of the author's age, you shouldn't. Katelan Janke is a good writer and has written a good book for the Dear America series.
February 3, 2016
This is the story of Grace, a young girl living in Texas in the early 30's. It was a time of the Great Depression and a time of terrible dust storms in the Oklahoma/Texas area on up. The storms were caused by bad farming practices and weather and became known as the Great Dust Bowl storms.
The book does a very good job of showing just how severe the storms were and the types of effects it had on the people who lived in the area. Some finally gave up and left, many moving to California where they were met by discrimination and prejudice.
There were also people who died from the effects of the dust storms, and that is brought out in the parts of the book that deal with that specifically plus the hospitals of the area.
It's not a particularly happy book, but it's a story of people who hold on against overwhelming odds, determined to make a go of it on the land where they live and, in some cases, at least, triumphing.
The book does a very good job of showing just how severe the storms were and the types of effects it had on the people who lived in the area. Some finally gave up and left, many moving to California where they were met by discrimination and prejudice.
There were also people who died from the effects of the dust storms, and that is brought out in the parts of the book that deal with that specifically plus the hospitals of the area.
It's not a particularly happy book, but it's a story of people who hold on against overwhelming odds, determined to make a go of it on the land where they live and, in some cases, at least, triumphing.
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February 14, 2017This book by Katelan Janke is a story about the Dust Bowls in Texas in 1935. Grace Edwards's families farm is not surviving the dust bowls, or the awful drought. The family is faces with many hardships as they are losing money because of their failing crops. One day the weather is great and the family is optimistic, and the next day there is a dust bowl, and the family is back square one.
I love the historical fiction books, so this was right up my alley. I could not stop reading this. This story is written in the first person, so I felt like I was actually with that family trying to survive the dust storms and the dying crops.
I love the historical fiction books, so this was right up my alley. I could not stop reading this. This story is written in the first person, so I felt like I was actually with that family trying to survive the dust storms and the dying crops.
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September 18, 2016This book focused on the dust bowl of 1935. This is a topic that is not really taught throughout school but it should be, the people who lived during this time in texas went through draughts every year and many dust storms, some not as bad as others. This would be a great book to read because it has a family that goes through it and having to block all the doors and protect the livestock and staying safe because this storm was bad. I really enjoyed reading about this because I find the dust bowl really cool and how a draught can cause such problems.
November 24, 2016
This book was great at describing just how freaking scary a dust storm would be, especially the feeling of dread you'd feel as you watch it getting closer on the horizon.
I also really enjoyed the characters, and how they embodied the sheer stubbornness of the time, and how it showed both the good and the bad of it. These people never gave up hope and the desire to stand on their own (good), but at the sane time, the arrogance and pride that only made them suffer more. It showed they were two sides of the same coin very well.
The end did begin to drag a bit.
I also really enjoyed the characters, and how they embodied the sheer stubbornness of the time, and how it showed both the good and the bad of it. These people never gave up hope and the desire to stand on their own (good), but at the sane time, the arrogance and pride that only made them suffer more. It showed they were two sides of the same coin very well.
The end did begin to drag a bit.
March 31, 2009
Survival in the Storm was my first "Dear America" book I had ever completed. I started one before, but never finished it....
Anyway, it is delighting that my first one is written by a fifteen year old! Well, she was fifteen at the time, now twenty-four. This book was a true remodling of the Dust Bowl and Great Depression era. Katelan put beautiful images and powerful words into her book. I plan on reading more "Dear America" books. I hope they will be as awe-striking as this one.
Anyway, it is delighting that my first one is written by a fifteen year old! Well, she was fifteen at the time, now twenty-four. This book was a true remodling of the Dust Bowl and Great Depression era. Katelan put beautiful images and powerful words into her book. I plan on reading more "Dear America" books. I hope they will be as awe-striking as this one.
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November 12, 2012This entire series is a wonderful way to learn history or teach it to adolescents. I find today's generations seem to recall more when they learn through other people (pop songs, celebrity gossip, etc.), so what better way to teach history than through someone else's perspective? Yes, "authentic" diaries would be "better", but would the language really hold the modern student's attention? Did the diary writer know what WOULD be important in the context of history? Probably not.
September 26, 2009
The diary of a young girl in the dustbowl era of Texas. Although it is a composition rather than an actual diary it was fascinating to read. This is actually a youth book but I wouuld recommend it to anyone. Having been born in the same general area of Texas added poignancy to the story for me. My father's family went through this period of time. He was about the same age as the girl in the story. It really hits home how easy we have it today.
December 22, 2010
Grace Edwards best friend is Helen and Grace's sister is Ruth. Helen moves because of all of the dust storms and pneumonia. There are at least 7 storms and they leave right before one starts and hits. Ruth and Grace get dust pneumonia. Grace learns about the hospital life. Ruth finds out that her best friend dies from dust pneumonia. I think you would love this book. To find out what else happens read the book.
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