Good Reads: Survival in the Storm

Survival in the Storm:  The Dust Bowl Diary of Grace Edwards

-          Author:  Katelan Janke

-          Publisher:  Scholastic Inc.

-          Copyright:  2002

-          ISBN#:  0-439-21599-4

-          Genre:  Historical Fiction

-          Current Library Location:  Southwest Amarillo Public Library

Summary:

            Survival in the Storm is part of a collection of books called Dear America.  The books are written as first-person journals of fictional characters, but use historical places and events.  Survival in the Storm is Grace Edwards’s account of life in Dalhart, Texas, in 1935, during the Depression and the Dust Bowl.  The Dust Bowl was a severe drought that rocked the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles, as well as parts of Kansas, New Mexico, and Colorado.  The drought was accompanied by severe winds and dust storms, giving the area the “Dust Bowl” nickname.  Survival in the Storm gives a first-person account of what it would have been like to be a wheat-farmer’s family at that time.  The book discusses the storms and the toll they took on farmer’s livelihoods, the reliance on community for survival, and the migration of many people to California.

Personal Response:

            I have always enjoyed historical fiction, especially first-person accounts.  I took particular interest in this story because it occurred so close to this area and less than 100 years ago.  It is hard to imagine Dalhart and the rest of the Panhandle as it is described in this book.  Many of the attitudes and values the book discusses are still seen in this area today.  For instance, many people in the book refuse government aid and are determined to rely on only their own work with some help from their neighbors.  Also, the community rallies every time a family is particularly affected by the storms, sending help rebuilding, supplies, and food.  These ways of looking at life and work are still alive and well in the Texas panhandle today!

Suggested Use in Classroom:

            I primarily chose this text because I thought it might peak students’ interests because it is an event that occurred locally.  It is a great example of how reading can be both enjoyable and educational.  Historical fiction can really help students’ understand and connect with history by putting faces to the facts.  This book would be perfect for a class studying the Great Depression in history.  Also, a special project could be put together by collaborating with the history teachers, such as the student’s writing their own journals based on research of a certain historical event.