The Dust Bowl Through the Lens

The Dust Bowl Through the Lens
By Martin W. Sandler
Walker & Co., 2009. 96 pgs. Young Adult Nonfiction

Martin Sandler provides a photoessay about the Dust Bowl and how the dust storms of the 1930s impacted the farmers who relied on the land for their livelihood. This is an informative book, and the photographs are incredible. However, in one regard the book is disappointing: the subtitle of this book is "How Photography Revealed and Helped Remedy a National Disaster," which would lead readers to believe that there would be a heavy emphasis on photography; however, the book is much less about photography than it is about the Dust Bowl. The information about photographers is sparse, compared with the rest of the text, and almost seems forced in places. Sandler would have done better to write a book about the Dust Bowl and include a page or two about photography. So, while the impact of photography of the Dust Bowl isn't explained as well as it could be, this book is worth reading for the interesting information and stunning photographs.

AE