Smoke and Dust

Many thanks to Chris Peek for hosting our September meeting. It is always a treat to view the beautiful Columbia from Chris's windows, though this time the view was hazier than usual. We are all wishing for clearer skies, as the smoke obscures all views, and is causing many to feel confined, and uncomfortable. The choice of The Worst Hard Time, by Timothy Egan could be considered either really good or bad timing. Good, as during these smoky days we can get a very small sense of the oppressiveness of the dust bowl days, or bad as in reading about the misery of that time just makes a hard time harder!

Exerpting from Claudia's review, The Worst Hard Time is   “A classic disaster tale” (New York Times) of greed, hardship and unbelievable perseverance.  The tragedy of the loss of the greatest natural grassland on earth could be blamed on many sources - " government for promoting the land ... banks with easy loans so one will buy everything, bank accounts not backed and deposits uninsured, railroad men with promotional pamphlets full of misinformation. The run up and frenzy of wheat boom, debt loads and technologic revolution " and human nature to consume and claim dominance over nature without considering the long term consequences.  The farmers and ranchers described in the book were not knowingly creating havoc with the land, but they were ill-advised and ill-equipped to create a sustainable life on the plains. The combination of mismatched farming practices and drought over many years, made the consequential dust bowl and deep poverty compounded by the great depression an epic human caused calamity.  The Worst Hard Times , was both appreciated for helping us gain an insight to that era , and critiqued for it's grim and longwinded style.

We discussed our next  book choices and as of this date the following suggestions have been made and will be submitted to Anne for approval. She will let us know if they are available and when we can expect them.. I am asking for 15 copies, of each book including one in LT if available.

• The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck - - Sandy
• The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway - Debbie G
• The Virginian: Horseman of the Plains by Owen Wister - Chris M
• Bad Ass Librarians of Timbuktu by Joshua Hammer - Claudia
• You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me - a Memoir by Sherman Alexie - Judy
• Still Life, by Louise Penny – Esther
• The Heirs: A Novel, by Susan Rieger – Chris Peek
• Grandma Gatewood's Walk, by Ben Montgomery - Debbie D. 

The next meeting will be at Esther's home on Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 5:30 PM. We will be discussing "At the Water's Edge" by Sara Gruen.