Read “A Conversation with Timothy Egan” from Houghton Mifflin Company to learn why he wrote The Worst Hard Time.

The Worst Hard Time Discussion Questions

1. What significant events led up to the Great Depression?
2. What caused the Dust Bowl?
3. What were the conditions and effects of a dust storm in the Dust Bowl?
4. How did the Dust Bowl and the Depression affect Midwestern farm families?
5. What was life like for farm families who migrated to California?
6. How did the U.S. government try to help victims of the Dust Bowl and the Depression?
7. How does this book depict life in the 1930s and 1940s?
8. Discuss the environmental impact of the Dust Bowl in relation to environmental concerns such as Global Warming.
9. How is this book relevant to read in 2009?
10. How do you feel about Timothy Egan’s writing style?
11. What do you think the author Timothy Egan meant by calling the Dust Bowl “the great untold story of the Greatest Generation”?

Out of the Dust Discussion Questions

1. Which events led up to the Great Depression?
2. Where and when did the Dust Bowl occur, and what caused it?
3. What were the conditions and effects of a dust storm in the Dust Bowl?
4. How did the Dust Bowl and the Depression affect Midwestern farm families?
5. What was life like for farm families who migrated to California?
6. How did the U.S. government try to help victims of the Dust Bowl and the Depression?
7. What was the popular culture like during the 1930’s? Give examples of music, literature, theater, or other common pastimes.
8. Why did Karen Hesse write this book in poetic/verse form?
9. How do you feel about the events that happen in Billie Jo’s life?