Destitute pea pickers in California: Mother of seven children, aged thirty-two. Nipoma, California, March 1936
by Dorothea Lange(1895-1965)
Dear Bookclub,
Desperation. Here and now. There and then. Kristin Hannah's novel illuminated not only the dire conditions and horrific challenges of the dust bowl but spotlighted, to our readers, the continued abuse of migrant workers and misuse of natural resources, resulting in human rights issues and man-made environmental disaster. "The Four Winds" ended with Elsa's journey but the tale is repeated over and over again, eerily all around us, as Diane's share of last week's Union Tribune piece confirms:
West Coast Tomato houses seasonal workers at this North River Road location, but the lease ends in January.
(Phil Diehl)
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/communities/north-county/story/2021-06-13/tomato-grower-to-house-600-seasonal-workers
Pets, shocked by suddenly being left at home while masters re-enter the public
world, experience post-pandemic anxiety. Transferred to my experience
entering the cacophony of the Rancho Bernardo-Bermuda-Triangle of
patio-restaurants including The Barrel Room, I was apprehensive. What a scene! But the
welcoming long table of our dear bookclub held strong as Barb generously
hosted and led our tribe in a well-organized discussion. A fantastic
100 percent had read the book which gave way to a shared circle,
each member contributing ideas and opinions about the book. Admiration
for the strength of the women: Elsa, Loreda and Rose especially, contributed to the enjoyment of the swift read although some had misgivings about the romantic element. At times difficult to read, descriptions of the struggles throughout the saga where arduous and drawn-out, appropriately weighing the reader down as if buried by dust and suffocated by hate. I wanted to bring in an editor but perhaps the exhausting literary element proved effective as is.
Hannah's descriptions are well documented:
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Oakies on US 66 1935.... and more:
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The audible was read by actress, Julia Whelan. A bonus interview at
the end of the book with both Kristin Hannah and Julia is outstanding.
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Julia Whelan, narrarator
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Please listen to this little clip - unfortunately, I cannot locate a link to the full conversation but here is an excerpt:
https://soundcloud.com/macaudio-2/four-winds-bonus-conversation-excerpt/s-aB6UXIxyZhm
Most interesting to me was Hannah's revelation that through much of her two year writing process, Elsa and Loreda were sisters. Ultimately using the tensions between a mother and daughter, Hannah instead chose to shift gears and the resulting relationship was her vehicle for the story. Candidly sharing the shaping of this novel and her motivations in writing her other novels, the author's talent is apparent given the breadth of topics and different styles throughout her works.
Barb's suggestions for an upcoming read:
"This Tender Land" William Kent Krueger
"Girls Burn Brighter" Shobha Rao *chosen
"The Doctors Blackwell" Janice P. Nimura
Up next:
Happy reading,
LK
