Letters from the Dust Bowl

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.