Those who lived through the decade of the 1930s experienced one of the greatest ecological and economic disasters ever to strike Oklahoma and most of the Southern Plains of the United States, and the legacy of that decade remains with us today. The Altus Public Library presents “The Worst Hard Time Revisited: Oklahoma in the Dust Bowl Years,” a reading and discussion series

that reexamines the “Dirty Thirties.”

Books Services and other materials

are provided by “Let’s Talk About It,

Oklahoma,” a project of the Okla-

homa Humanities Council with

funding from the National En-

dowment for the Humanities.

Funding for this series was

provided by a grant from the

Inasmuch Foundation.

Developed by David Oberhelman

and Barbara Miller of Oklahoma State

University, this series includes books of

several different literary genres that explore

the experience of the Great Depres-

sion and the Dust Bowl.

“I think participants will en-

joy the variety of readings,” said Tammy Davis, Project Director. “The series includes a couple of overlooked classics that were overshadowed by The Grapes of Wrath as well as some contemporary looks at this critical decade.” Programs begin on Thursday, September 7th at 7:00 PM and continue every week through October 1st. Each program is opened by a guest speaker who will provide background on the authors, books, and theme, followed by small group discussions.

Sara Jane Richter, Dean of the School of Liberal Arts, Panhandle State University, will introduce Timothy Egan’s The Worst Hard Time, winner of the 2006 National Book Award for Nonfiction. Egan’s book examines the history of the Dust Bowl region and also provides personal histories of those who lived through the drought and devastation of the era. The program begins at 7:00 PM, September 3rd at the Altus Public Library.

Participants can pick books at the Altus Public Library during regular library hours. For more information about the books, scholars or the program call the library at 477-2890.