Let me explain. The latest audio book I am listening to during my commute is The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan. There are 10 discs and I am up to disc 8.
Before listening to this book, I thought I had an idea what the Dust Bowl was. However, I was mistaken. I knew the drought caused problems for farmers, but I had no idea of the scope of the dilemma. Dust pneumonia, death, and anxiety were a way of life in the 1930's in the southern plains. Loss of breath and blindness occurred. There was constant cough through the entire region. Dust infiltrated fields, houses, livestock and people.
A friend recommended this book because some settlers of the Dust Bowl shared my German Russian ancestry. I know my ancestors suffered in Russia. Unfortunately, those who moved to the Oklahoma and Texas experienced the horror of drought and dust.
This book is an outstanding collection of in-depth research which invokes gratitude for every breath you take whether your ancestry revolves around the Dust Bowl or not. My little cough is merely my sympathetic reaction to wanting to clear my lungs as I hear more and more of the dramatic struggle for survival. I will be just fine when I finish disc 10.
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