The Winter Years: The Depression on the Prairies

My mom asked me one day what was the best book I ever read, and this was one of the three or four that came to mind. This is an excellent book for several reasons. It is a story of a man and his family who lived in and was affected by the great depression of the `30's. It starts out with a series of his experiences and anecdotes that really gives a flavor of the period. Some of the make work projects and "boon doggles" are really revealing. Stories such as the weed pulling gangs and hole digging crews, are a scream. Also stories of the renters and landlords and thier troubles and quirks are very interesting reading. He then continues showing his struggles to get out of the mire of the period and manages to become a reporter during the same time frame. Thus the narrative switches from one who is experiencing the depression to one who is recording the affect of it on life in Canada, as he travels around meeting various people. (Principally in Manitoba). The story of the mother and two kids and their water troubles, still sticks with me. It even offers some useful analysis as to the causes and affects of the depressions. Something very relevent in todays economic situation. It also helps the person who has grown up in todays world of excess and abundance to appreciate what they have. This book should be mandatory reading for our generation, possibly in school, to help people see just how good we have it and how bad it can get. It shows just how well the people of the period dealt with the hard times, something of a lesson to us all who take our situation for granted, and expect things to be handed to us.

T found this book readable and informable. I read it to find out what life was like on the prairies during the depression. The book painted an accurate and vivid account. I loved the discriptions of the grasshopper plagues. I appreciated the account of life in the relief camps. It is very difficult to get such information. I would like to read more books by this author.