Letters from the Dust Bowl (Paperback)

~ Caroline Henderson (Author) "The life and writings of Caroline Henderson offer one of the more compelling stories of the American experience..." (more)
Key Phrases: Mount Holyoke, Atlantic Monthly, Grandstaff Collection (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Caroline Henderson grew up in rural Iowa, the daughter of a farmer prosperous enough to send her to Mount Holyoke College, where she earned a degree in language and literature in 1901. After teaching for several years in Des Moines, she decided to homestead in the Oklahoma panhandle; she and her husband, Will, remained Oklahoma farmers until their deaths in 1966. In addition to her farm duties--and raising a daughter who became a physician--Caroline Henderson moonlighted as a writer for farm and ladies' publications in the years before World War I and for national publications such as Atlantic Monthly during the Depression. Her descriptions of the Dust Bowl years brought her national recognition. This book combines Henderson's published writings with selections from her prolific correspondence, providing a fascinating look at the life of an educated woman committed to Jefferson's vision of the American dream through the first two-thirds of the twentieth century.

Mary Carroll
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Description

Caroline Henderson’s articles on the Oklahoma Dust Bowl began appearing in "Atlantic Monthly" in 1931, bringing national attention to the troubles of United States farmers. In "Letters from the Dust Bowl," Alvin O. Turner has collected and edited Henderson’s published materials and personal correspondence dating from 1908 to 1966. Turner supplements Henderson’s work with a biographical essay and discerning annotations to present a complete picture of this remarkable woman. She had moved to Oklahoma’s panhandle to homestead and teach in 1907, and her writing mirrored her love of the land and of the literature that sustained her as she struggled for survival during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Even today, Henderson’s articles, notably "Letters from the Dust Bowl," are frequently cited for her vivid descriptions of the dust storms that ravaged the Plains.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 278 pages
• Publisher: Red River Books (March 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806135409
• ISBN-13: 978-0806135403
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #101,594 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dreams can save a person from an otherwise mean life, October 17, 2001

By	Christine Pappas (Ada, Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Letters from the Dustbowl (Hardcover)

Alvin Turner likes to quip that "Letters from the Dustbowl" is the "best written book" that the University of Oklahoma Press will publish this year. Indeed, Caroline Henderson, the author of the columns and letters it contains, may be the most quoted authority on the social aspects of the dustbowl. Her views on Oklahoma farm life were disseminated across the country both in her columns for "Ladies' World," and her "Letters from the Dustbowl," were published in "Atlantic Monthly." In selecting material for this book, Turner told me that he had twice as many columns and letters than would fit. Alvin Turner is the Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma.

Caroline Henderson moved to a farm near Eva, Oklahoma, in 1907. During the next six decades, she and her husband, Will, endured the hardship of depressions and the dustbowl on their farm, with really only one bumper crop to show for their labors. Turner's overall introduction, as well as his introduction to each section, does well to place Henderson's life in context. She had great dreams for her life, both as a literate woman and as a farmer but by the end of her life, she is disillusioned and considers herself a failure.

Most of Henderson's farming experience demonstrates that dreams can save a person from an otherwise mean life. In 1917 she wrote, "The fact that we cannot see the end does not relieve us of our obligation to push forward, to gain every inch we can in humanity's forward march." As a young farm wife, she met challenges with inventiveness, and hardship with strong will. Even as crops withered and neighbors moved away, she finds beauty in flowers and friendship in animals. However, too many failed crops and dried-up dreams took their toll on Henderson's optimism. In 1952, she wrote in a letter to her daughter, "Every day seems to bring some new sorrow in these last years of fruitless effort and disappointment." With dreams dashed, Henderson loses all sense of proportion and she reads each setback as catastrophe.

"Letters from the Dust Bowl" is as heartbreaking as it is inspirational. Al Turner is right; it's a very well written book.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enhanced with a biographical essay and precise annotations, June 12, 2003

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Deftly edited for contemporary readers by Alvin O. Turner, Letters From The Dust Bowl is a collection of letters and published materials written by Caroline Henderson (1877-1965), a woman who lived through the Oklahoma Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. Her articles on the Dust Bowl first began appearing in "Atlantic Monthly" in 1931, drawing the woes of American farmers into the public eye. Her correspondence and articles, which date from 1908 to 1966, offers insight into the daily struggle to put food on the table, and her descriptions of the dust storms that covered the Plains are unforgettable. Enhanced with a biographical essay and precise annotations supplementing this extraordinary compilation, Letters From The Dust Bowl is highly recommended for students of 20th Century American History.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Substance and Soul - What is Truly Necessary, December 1, 2007

By	Jim Harrigan "the dirt man" (Arizona) - See all my reviews

This is trying. The personal letters presented in the book convey a manner with which Caroline uses to overcome life stresses that come with homesteading a difficult land in a fickle environment. The Hendersons live quite alone in No Mans Land. The welfare of the Henderson family depends strictly on their ability to manifest a steady resource of food substances for nutrition and for trade. The letters from Caroline Henderson are written in a very flowery style that worked well in the early half of the 20th century. Digesting the text isn't easy if you've become adapted to the pace of life today.

However, the reader is treated to an infinite barrel of wisdom. Certainly, Caroline had to deal with much more in her life than overcoming writing styles, so it helps knowing this just to get through the book. It is easy to miss what is really going on here. Homesteading requires a harvest of food for nutrition and another harvest of food for the soul. The book talks very little about dust storms. More is spoken of the planted gladiolas, the harvest, the songs of birds, and of Christmas. Letters are torn up in frustration, and rewritten to be positive. Each response to a letter opens with words of thanks for encouragement offered.

This little book is terrific - the kind of book that changes lives. If you enjoyed Victor E. Frankl's "Man's Search for Meaning" you might also love this. Though not analytical and direct as Frankl, it quietly relates shared personal values. In contrast to Frankl, Henderson lives very much in freedom, but within the shackles of her environoment.