Rooted in dust

When drought and depression hit southwestern Kansas, thousands fled the region. But, surprisingly, more than three-quarters of the population stayed. Examining the social impact of economic hardship and environmental disaster, Pamela Riney-Kehrberg illustrates how both farm and town families survived by finding odd jobs, working in government programs, or depending on federal and private assistance. Those years of deprivation, she shows, dramatically affected standards of living, family relationships, city and county finances, land ownership, farm prices and production, population shifts, and politics - and indelibly altered the outlook and future plans of these Kansans. More important, her study provides a moving testament to the endurance and fortitude of these remarkable people.