“Four Winds” by Kristin Hannah

If you read “The Grapes of Wrath” in school, or learned about the Dust Bowl in history class, you probably think you know what it was like, but in Kristin Hannah’s new book, the reader comes face to face with the author’s frighteningly explicit descriptions of devastating dust storms, the terror of surviving their assault, the mounting sense of despair, the ravages of the land you love and depend on, the loss of dignity and self-respect, the agony, depression, and tedium of year after year of onslaught, the rising poverty, the greed of the wealthy who disparage and take advantage of the destitute, the sicknesses developed by breathing dirt and dust, the fight for survival, and the risks inherent in leaving to find a better life.  The book explores all this using role models of several strong women, while emphasizing  the legacy and strength that a family provides, as Elsa Martinelli, who had a difficult start in life, finally finds a loving family, but when the Dust Bowl continues for an entire decade, she must overcome unbelievable odds to save her family and find within herself, the courage to carry on in circumstances that would daunt even the most determined. 5 Stars