The Worst Hard Time, by Timothy Egan.

The dust storms that terrorized the High Plains in the darkest years of the Depression were like nothing ever seen before or since. Timothy Egan’s critically acclaimed account rescues this iconic chapter of American history from the shadows in a tour de force of historical reportage. Following a dozen families and their communities through the rise and fall of the region, Egan tells of their desperate attempts to carry on through blinding black dust blizzards, crop failure, and the death of loved ones. Brilliantly capturing the terrifying drama of catastrophe, Egan does equal justice to the human characters who become his heroes, “the stoic, long-suffering men and women whose lives he opens up with urgency and respect” (New York Times).

ISBN# 0618773473

About the author: Timoty Egan is a national enterprise reporter for the New York Times. He is the author of four books and the recipient of several awards, including the Pulitzer Prize. He lives in Seattle, Washington. 

Image description: The image on the cover shows three small white houses on the bottom, and a sky in earthy tones that hints at dust and hardship. The title is in the middle of the cover in bold white letters, with the author's name right under it in brown. The subtitle is present at the top of the cover together with a gold medal for the National Book Award Winner.