I think book clubs are important; it’s a way to connect with others with similar interests.”Pat Sharpton, book club member
CULLMAN — On Tuesday, Nov. 17, a group of citizens gathered at the North Alabama Agriplex to discuss dust storms and the Great Depression. Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times journalist and author Timothy Egan’s book, “The Worst Hard Time,” was the subject of the new book club’s meeting, one of the first of many to come.
“We are focusing more on agriculture, food and nature,” Rachael Wiser, Agriplex VISTA worker explained. “The subjects of our books are very broad.”
Egan’s book tells a story of endurance and heroism against the backdrop of the Great Depression. He followed six families as they went from sod homes to new framed houses to huddling in their basements with windows sealed by damp sheets to keep the dust out. The book describes the families’ desperate attempts to carry on through blinding black blizzards, crop failures and the deaths of loved ones.
“The premise of the story is that in the late 1800s, the government had removed the Indians and people had shot all the buffalo,” said book club member Jane Teeter. “There was [sic], like, 25 million buffalo that were shot just for sport from the back of a train. They were just left there when they died. When the settlers moved into the area at the turn of the century, they began the great plow-up. They started to try to grow crops there.
“For a few good years they had wet weather, so they plowed up the plains and planted corn and wheat, both of which need a lot of water,” she continued. “People got rich; they bought a lot of equipment and luxury type items. Then the Depression hit in 1929, and in 1931 they begin [sic] to have dry weather there. Some people left and went to California. In the book it says that there were about 3 million people and about 1 million had [sic] left. This is the story of the people who stayed.”
The book club meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. The next meeting will be on December 15 and will feature the book “Mothers of the South” by Anne Firor Scott.
“Everyone is welcome to come and visit; you don’t have to actually join,” said member Shannon McBride. “You don’t have to do a book report, and no tests,” she chuckled.
“I think book clubs are important; it’s a way to connect with others with similar interests,” member Pat Sharpton added.
The North Alabama Agriplex is located at 1714 Talley Ho St. in Cullman. For more information call 256-297-1044 or visit them online at agriplex.org.
