Depression Books

Patrick Dearen's "When the Sky Rained Dust" is a compelling look into the experience of the everyday family in Texas during the Great Depression at the time of the Dust Bowl. Josh Watson and his family struggle to survive and to hold onto their property. Their neighbors and friends are all in the same position and still do what they can to help one another. The story is one that played out in the lives of real people and Dearen has thoroughly captured the feel and sound of the time.

Dearen successfully drops his readers into the world of a fourteen-year-old Central Texas boy, Josh Watson, his good friend Shan, his family and neighbors, and the readers is soon engrossed in a story that keeps one reading to the very end. The reader will wish, in fact, for a different ending, but Dearen has stayed true to the harsh reality of the situation and not given us the "Disney" ending. It is a story familiar to anyone who grew up in Texas during the Great Depression or any who convinced survivors to tell their stories.

"When the Sky Rained Dust" would be an easy read for anyone studying this era and will be especially inviting for a teacher to use as a classroom tool. The way the author paints a picture and allows his reader into the story will keep the audience wanting more. This novel would be helpful for a Texas history teacher, but should certainly not be overlooked by the American history teacher looking to personalize the study of the Depression era.

The book would benefit only from the addition of a bibliography of further readings to help the interested reader find more information on an age-appropriate level. That being said, this reader read the book in one sitting and wished to learn more about the Watson family and their lives after the Depression.

Patrick Dearen's novel about the Dust Bowl and Great Depression received the 2006 R. C. Crane Award for best creative work on West Texas, presented by West Texas Historical Association.

The year 1934 was the middle of the Great Depression and if you lived in the middle of the Dust Bowl in Central Texas like fourteen-year-old Josh Watson, you knew what hard times were. As Josh watched his family struggle to make a living on the small farm that his father had mortgaged in better times for money to improve his land, he wondered why they were hanging on. It wasn't going to rain, and if it did, what good would it do the Watsons and their neighbors? Their land was nothing but bare cracked earth except the little garden his mother watered everyday, carrying water in metal buckets from the well. When Josh's friend Shan left after her father sold his land, the young boy became angry at his own father. Why was the man so stubborn? There was nothing left to fight for. Dearen's portrait of the Depression and the Dust Bowl and the almost inhuman struggle required to survive is so real one chokes on the black dust in the air, sees the ugly cracked earth without crop or weed, and hears the awful lowing of the starving cattle. A slice-of-life written in sparse prose as suits the subject.

This book is more pertinent than a mere history of the CCC on the Colorado Plateau. The authors have reached through their intriguing history and given us individual stories of CCC workers that tell of finding confidence, employable skills, and experience with taking on a tough job and seeing it through. With the rampant despair of our current economic downturn, it's good to have these human lessons to remind us there is hope. The nation has gotten back on its feet before and been rendered stronger for the experience. My thanks to the authors for finding and sharing the human side of the CCC story.

"With Picks, Shovels & Hope" is an excellent account of Civilian Conservation Corps camps and projects on the Colorado Plateau. Personal experiences of enrollees bring to life the hardships of the Depression, the anticipation of working in new occupations, and the pride felt in helping the land, their families and themselves. A collection of wonderful photographs enhance the well-written story. This is a must read for anyone interested in the accomplishments of the CCC.

While WITH PICKS, SHOVELS AND HOPE: THE CCC AND ITS LEGACY ON THE COLORADO PLATEAU will likely be a top pick for Colorado libraries, any interested in public lands management, Depression-era history, or the Civilian Conservation Corps will find this a key historical guide. It tells the story of a group of young men who worked to restore forests, farmlands and more in America's national public lands, and it provides a survey replete with fine color photos of Colorado natural landscapes, throughout. A fine achievement.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Exercises to foster a more positive attitude. Learn how to break destructive
behaviors and thinking. Find the answers for emotional well-being. Master
self-acceptance and transform your life! Highly recommend!

I believe this is cutting edge material. When people have been frozen in outdated paradigms left over from their early years, the material in this book and workbook will help them redecide in their own behalf how to take control of their unhealthy thoughts that do not work for them anymore and replace them with thoughts that bring lives into fruition. The tools and strategies used can take a person's life that is out harmony with itself and help that person live their bliss. It truly has helped me become an authentic spiritual person.

Powerful & life-changing stuff! As the Director of a Life Skills Adult Education Program, I have been amazed at the transformation I have seen in people having read this book & participating in the 10 week class. From issues of dependency, anger, loss & worry people have gained a new pespective and more importantly, the tools necessary to change their lives. It is effective both on an individual basis, small group setting or large-group format. A must read for all!

Just bought the book because my Grandfather Stan Fuller was one of the eleven iron men of Yale..Thanks for writing the story of the Yale players-

Bill Wallace's book, Yale's Ironmen, is a treasure of knowledge, not just the knowledge of the Yale-Princeton football game of 1934 but the human history of the men who played in the game, their coaches, their families and how the development of television and professional football affected the attitudes of consumers for football and other sports activities

I bought this book as a long-time college football fan and found it to be one of the best sports books I have read. Much more than just football, this book tells the stories of the players and coaches and is a wonderful look at life and sports in the 1930's. All of this makes this a great read for sports fans or just those who remember what life was like in 1934. A truly inspirational story of one team's refusal lose against incredible odds.

I bought this book for my husband who is suffering from mild depression but have read it myself from cover to cover. This was surprising because I am not a big fan of self help books.

Brilliant book for those searching to understand what is going on inside our mind and what are the origins of mental and even physical illness. I will make sure my husband reads this book because it is extremely helpful to change ways of thinking and behaving. Besides, there is a lot of interesting facts, for example, about memory of water and how our emotions affect the structure of water.

Very recommend this book for everybody not only for those who suffers from depression.

This is an absolutely amazing book - I started reading it and could not stop untill I was done. It inspired and at the same time surprised me with unusual approach to resolving my everyday problems and stressful situations. It made me look differently at things and people surrounding me. It's like everything came together to one logical explanation and started making sense. The author's methodology is simple and effective. I tried it right away and was surprised to see that my headache was gone! This was something I did not expect just from mental realization of my emotions!
I will also try his method of analyzing and changing information of dreams. This topic has always interested me, and I have read a lot of books about dreams and dream analyzing, but nobody has ever told me that I can change my dream and become a master of my destiny.
Author covers many topics and uses great anecdotes and metaphors to make his points. This book prepares people for life and should be a required course for high schools and colleges. I would very recommend it to everyone.

Book presents an interesting and unique perspective on causes of our problems, provides clear insight, and practical solutions. Author establishes connection between stress in the past and illness (or psychological problem) in the present. We always hear that all problems are from stress but until now nobody gave a sound explanation HOW IT HAPPENS. I liked the way this book is structured - skeptic opposes the author. It works very well. I decided to send this book as Christmas present to some of my relatives.

I am a believer in Dr. Sears...I started out by purchasing the PACE book for myself and had such great success with the program. Could not believe how quickly I increased my stamina, reduced my body fat and just plain felt better. So excited that I found an exercise program that I could stick to with minimal efforts and maximum results I shared it with my family who to date has seen the same results. Because I was so impressed with Dr. Sears PACE program I decided to purchase Dr's Heart Cure and 12 Secrets to Virility for my Dad who has heart disease and diabetes. By slowly applying the principles of both books my Dad is now living a healthier and happier life. Dr. Sears gives sound, easy to follow and effective advice that anyone can do. I just purchased his new book - Best Health Under the Sun and can't wait to see what I can do to improve my health next. Please keep the books coming Dr. Sears, me and my family can't get enough!

All of Dr. Sears' book have taught me life changing principals when it comes to my health and quality of life. But this book hit me hard! I am a sun baby. I ride horses, I go to the beach and have always had this fear of being out in the sun so often was BAD for me. That I will get cancer! I heard it from my mother every day. But now this book has taught me to relish being in the sun. Why stay away from soemthing that makes me feel happy and healthy. Now I understand why I am always happy when I have had a beautiful day outside. This is a definite must read for EVERYONE.

Dr. Sears delivers another must-have book... Co-written with Jon Herring, Your Best Health Under the Sun first exposes the deception and cover-ups behind the sunscreen industry and the dermatologists who back them up. Before reading this, I really didn't understand the degree to which the media has scared us out of the sun. And I was shocked to see just how harmful the commercial sunscreens really are.

But this remarkable book is so much more than an expose on the cosmetics industry. Dr. Sears shows you how the sun helps your body make vitamin D. I had no idea that vitamin D was so powerful and that so many of us are deficient.

Turns out, this missing vitamin D is an epidemic that no one knows about. Yet it's crucial for avoiding cancer and achieving your maximum energy and potential. This is a real eye opener... And so easy to read and well put together.

Aside from realizing that you actually need some time in the sun, you'll find out how to prevent all forms of skin cancer as well as 17 other types of other deadly cancers. I love the recommendations for natural skin care and protection, too. For those of you who experience depression during the winter, there are answers for that as well.

Everyone needs to read this at least once during his or her life. I highly recommend it...

Great little book. It suggests things all depression suffers already know, like staying busy is the enemy of depression.

This is a brave little book that recognises that many depressive people aren't going to want to wade through hundreds of densely argued pages or endless chapters of waffle. We need help now, so it gets straight to the point and throws likeable bright ideas at the reader thick and fast, some of which I had come across but most of which were new to me.

The concepts mostly fall into three groups. There are exercises to do that attempt to get your brain to spark up a bit on the spot. There are a number of short and insightful chapters about how best to make little do-able changes to our life styles that will pay off, probably straight away. Finally, there are chapters on helping us rethink how we perceive ourselves and our life.

There's so much covered that even when ocasionally I was dubious, I would turn the page and the next idea would make me nod with recognition.

The idea that struck me as the strongest and which ran through the book is that depression by its very nature takes away our energy and our will to fight it, so the strategies we need to employ have to endlessly recognise this fact, if we are to have any success.

I would recommend it as a few dollars very well spent.

I've tried reading several other depression books, but most have been either so theoretical that they were of little value or filled with medical jargon that I did not understand. 75 Ways to Beat Depression is the first book that's really helped me find answers for my own mood prolems because it's written with such down to earth simplicity that I can relate to almost everything the author writes. Actually, reading the book felt like talking to a trusted friend that's been through the hell of depression and found the way back to wholeness again. A friend who shares what he has learned and offers many practical solutions to help me solve my own mood problems. Depression sufferers will appreciate the frankness with which Rybolt writes when he admits that nothing about depression is "easy". Yet, they will find 75 Ways to Beat Depression filled with hope and humor.

Don't get me wrong, this book is not likely to be a quick solution to your depression problems, but it can help you find the road that leads to recovery as you follow the footsteps of the author that begins in the depths of darkness and leads to the light of recovery.

I wasn't sure about this book at first. From the
title I thought, "A bit trite, aren't we?" but
for some reason it called out to me... and being
a person with a history of Depression who now aims
to keep myself strong and resilient rather than
depressed, I figured there might be something
new among these pages.

I was not disappointed.

On the very first page I read I felt like the
author, Richard Rybolt, knew me personally. He
certainly knows my depression.

Each section of the book is offered in three chunks.

"From his journal" is first and it contains
excerpts from Rybolt's personal experience.
"Things to Do" outlines actions to take - so
significant for folks with depression who
tend to take to inert inaction, which tends
to fuel the depression instead of feeling btter.
The "Try this" section is like the nudges from
the author's corner - whispering "You can do it,
you can do it, you can do it!"

The appendix on famous people with depression
is also very encouraging. There were some
folks I already knew suffered from depression -
but the new faces added to my "OK-ness" with
my own depression. Surprise, surprise to find
some of MY favorite, inciteful artists there:

Emily Dickinson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, John
Ruskin, Ludwig von Beethoven.

This book would also be helpful for someone
who loves a person with depression.

Excellent.

When Agnes May Gleason's father is injured working on the family dairy farm, her mother must take him to the hospital, leaving Agnes charge. Things were already difficult because of the Depression, and now Agnes's parents tells them to dump the day's milk. They can't afford to do that with these hard times, and Agnes decides to disobey her parents and make the deliveries with the help of her little brother and sister. This was an inspiring story about a girl during a difficult time in this country's history and how she overcomes difficulties to help her family.

Agnes May Gleason is almost thirteen, and she's living on her family's dairy farm near Walsenburg, Colorado, in 1933. Life has been hard for her family since the Depression started, and now Aggie's father has injured himself. When he must go to the hospital, Aggie is left alone to run the dairy with only her ten year old sister, Mary, and seven year old brother, Charles. If only her older brother Ralph hadn't left home! But it's up to Agnes now to make decisions, and pray that everything goes right. I highly reccomend this book.

Great read-aloud book about two boys during the Great Depression. I say read-aloud for those who may not be able to pick out the great contrasts, forshadowing and subtleties that would be a crime to miss. It's about a three day read-aloud. We talked about our own family history and the depression, how experiences affect behavior and about judging others."

I just loved reading this book so much that I couldn't put it down. I just had to find out the ending. I believe that most kids (and probably most adults) would enjoy reading this book too. I can't wait to read another book by Dennis Haseley.