For almost a decade, a devastating combination of drought, wind, and poor farming practices turned millions of acres of the Great Plains into a wasteland. Ceaseless "black blizzards," turned night into day, killed crops and livestock, threatened the lives of small children, and buried homesteaders' hopes under huge dunes of dirt. The authors tell the story through private letters, newspaper accounts, and vivid interviews conducted with dozens of survivors -- the last living witnesses of the Dust Bowl, who provide scaring details of their families' ordeals. More than 300 archival photos, some from acclaimed photographers and some -- never before published -- from amateur locals, help bring this critical period to life, when the forces of greed, misinformation, and wishful thinking conspired to nearly sweep away the breadbasket of the nation. Here are stories of incredible hardship: More than 850 million tons of topsoil blew away in a single year; 14 million grasshoppers per square mile descended on parched fields; and one-quarter of the region's inhabitants packed up and left. But the Dust Bowl is also about the courage and resilience of those who remained to save their farms and their families. A larger narrative emerges: A morality tale about our relationship to the land, a study of the role and limits of government, and an affirmation of the human capacity for heroic perseverance through the crucible of drought, Depression, and dust.

"Based on a film by Ken Burns, produced by Dayton Duncan, Ken Burns, and Julie Dunfey, written by Dayton Duncan."

The great plow up -- Midnight with no stars -- The crucible -- Dust to eat -- The end of the world -- Reaping the whirlwind -- Grab a root and growl -- Canaan land -- Thou shalt not bear false witness -- Okies -- The cruel crisis -- The western gate.