#dustbowl – kindread spirits

Though Woody is now 100 years old, all he wants to do is document the most important time in his life, back in 1938, beginning when he’d made it all the way from the Dust Bowl of the Texas panhandle to New York City. At that point, it had felt like a miracle to Woody, who’d survived more in his 17 years than most had in their whole lives. But after being knocked out by the blast of a hurricane, he awakened to a sight he could not believe possible: 2 true-to-life giraffes in a crate that just survived the harrowing storm. He was so entranced, he felt compelled to follow them, and as he did, so ensued the adventure that remained with him long after all his other life adventures had faded away.

Based on a true story of 2 giraffes shipped in from Africa to New York harbor and then transported across the US in a rig all the way to the San Diego Zoo, this story is simultaneously outrageous and heartwarming. Although I was a bit skeptical that it might be something I’d actually be interested in reading, I was captured immediately and captivated throughout, often not being able to put it down, in certain parts. The adventure is replete with colorful characters encountered by Woody and the giraffes’ caretaker, fondly referred to as “the Old Man,” and their narrow escapes from danger are described in such humorous and precise detail that your heart is literally in your mouth during many of them. And that very heart has to be made of stone if you do not fall in love with the giraffes themselves by the end of the story.

Given the historical context, the personal stories of the characters, and the wild tale itself, this novel is a hit, no matter how you slice it. You cannot help but love it – and the giraffes!

Although she’s been told she’s worth nothing her whole life, Elsa still dreams of a world in which she might accomplish something worthwhile. Being 25 and unmarried in the early 1930’s is a pretty clear indication that chances are slim that you will be leaving your family home at all. No, you’ll likely be under the thumb of your overbearing, critical mother and father your whole life. Unless you take action. Unless you do something drastic – like maybe buy that bolt of bold, red silk and sew yourself that beautiful, lavish dress and just sneak out for that night on the town and pretend you’re like everyone else– to hell with what they say. Be brave, her doting grandfather used to say to her. Well, she just might. Little does Elsa know that being brave will have to carry her through all of what comes thereafter, as she takes each next step, wanted or not.

In The Four Winds, Kristin Hannah has written what will inevitably come to be known as a great American novel, a sort of Grapes of Wrath narrated through the voice of a woman. We are lured inside the head and the heart of our heroine, Elsa, a modest, resourceful, and hard-working woman, bitterly rejected by her own family. She easily earns our sympathy, as she gradually gains her own strength, visualizing her own purpose. We feel love when she is finally loved and we shed tears when she is hurt, and we applaud her as she overcomes one arduous obstacle after another.

This is also a story of a dark era in our history. The Dust Bowl crisis during the Great Depression was a tragic consequence of the prolonged drought that occurred during the 1930’s, and layered onto the economic crisis of the Depression, it could not have come at a worse time. Scorched farmlands bankrupted thousands, and, lured by advertisements for jobs, too many fled west and found only steeper poverty and absent resources. The narrative starkly highlights the failure of our country to adequately provide for those who were left with nothing. This left those who were more fortunate, empowered by their vigilante groups, to demonstrate only anger and hatred toward these folks who were starving for work, starving to have the opportunity to help themselves.

I love that the women here are strong characters. Elsa grows into a strong character as she comes to know herself. Her daughter, Loreda, is born strong – rebellious, with a righteous anger that is sometimes misdirected but always idealistic. And there is Elsa’s mother-in-law, Rose, with her quieter strength – a woman who is fiercely loyal, uncomplaining, and who has the softest heart and is present when it matters. These are beautiful characters who will likely stay with you long after you finish turning the pages of this novel.

This story will singe a hole in your heart, but it will also fill it with admiration for the souls who fought for others, to raise up the unfortunate. It also reminds us how frequently history does repeat itself and how important it is to learn from the past.

A definite MUST READ – and a future classic.