Saturday, November 07, 2009

Years of Dust: The Story of the Dust Bowl by Albert Marrin


"At noon, darkness enveloped the earth. It seemed like an evil spirit had splashed an immense bucket of black paint across the sky. Within minutes, from horizon to horizon, the sun disappeared and noontime became "midnight." But such a midnight! There was no moon, mo stars, no meteorites flashing across the heavens. Instead, billowing clouds of dust, some rising more than two miles into the air, whipped across the plains. Driven by howling winds, the clouds easily overtook speeding cars. As the dust fell back to earth, it drifted like dirty, crunchy snow, choking roads and bringing trains to a grinding halt. Worse, the dust buried crops and livestock, destroying farmers' homes and livlihoods." (2)

Award winning author Albert Marrin presents a comprehensive discussion of the Dust Bowl in his newest book Years of Dust. Marrin takes readers all the way back to the 1700s to explain how pioneers and westward expansion effected the economy and ecology of the plains and led to the dust storms. He also talks about the effects of the storm, which caused over 2 million people to leave the area in search of a better life. Finally, he talks about possible solutions to the problems, dust storms around the world, and how events around the world can effect our planet. Filled with black and white photos, drawings, and charts that tell the story, children and adults will be enthralled.

AMY

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