The Four Winds

And she's done it again! Kristin Hannah has a way of taking me on a journey into the past and leaving me with feelings of shock, sadness, anger and more knowledge than I started with, but she's also a master at taking all of that and showing there are those who, with the courage, strength and resiliency to survive, can change their stories in history, even change history itself. Lift themselves up, carry on and show the strength of the pure human spirit when everything around them is in tatters.The Four Winds is not the book for you if you're looking for an easy read that you can just blow through (no pun intended) and say, "Yeah, that was great." No it's a real story of a horrible time in American history. I chose this one to read right away because it dealt with The Great Depression, it seemed especially relative to me right now. What I would call a timely book for these times. As we go through what's being labeled as the worst economic disaster since The Great Depression, I wanted to know what went on to the marginalized people of our nation in the 1930's. Historically it's the underserved, poor and devastated that suffer in times of crisis, we're seeing it happening again and I wonder will we ever learn? What's it going to take? When is enough enough?Elsa Martinelli hasn't had an easy life, her family shunned her, she just wasn't pretty enough to warrant attention from them. But it's her life after marriage that the book concentrates on. Elsa finds herself in a new town, living on a farm with her in-laws within the Great Plains of America, what will soon be called The Dust Bowl after years of drought and failing farms, hungry families, mountains of dust being blown and covering everything in it's wake and little hope for change. She's a farm girl now and calls the Plains her home, but after years of trying to live in a place where the dust is burying them more every year, crops will not grow without water and it's become dangerous for her to stay, Elsa decides to migrate West to California with her daughter and son. A feat that she never dreamed she'd be able to do. They suffer greatly trying to make it across the country in an old, broken down truck, just the three of them. I would think in the 1930's a woman alone, with only her two young children would have to have been the bravest of the brave, the determined few who would do anything to find the American dream!Once they reached the Golden State their hopes and dreams of a new home, friendly neighbors and jobs, soon becomes a real life disappointment. There are no jobs for the thousands and thousands who are like Elsa trying to escape their dire circumstances and continue with their hopes of the American dream. Soon they'll have to settle for a spot in one of the many immigrant tent cities, where Elsa is again challenged to provide for her children as best she can. She finds a job picking cotton, but then goes through the injustice of the greedy owner. Her soul is constantly being chipped away, but she persisted! The residents of California are nothing short of mean and nasty to these immigrants and won't even give them a chance. They are taunted with names, discriminated against at every turn, left to suffer on their own, but Elsa is not giving up. It's so important to her to teach her children what's important in life and try to keep them in school, education will further their dreams for a better future. This will not be an easy task for Elsa, but she's become a tougher than nails kinda gal and doesn't stop trying any more than she'd stop loving her children,After meeting up with an activist/communist who has a heart for the downtrodden and wants to help, she encounters the other side of greed. Someone finally understands the nightmare she and thousands of other families are living through. She's hesitant at first to get involved, after all he is a communist, and during the 30's that was not the label you wanted attached to your name. Elsa's daughter has grown up to be a smart, independent thinker with ideas of her own, I loved to read that teen girls in the 1930's were not that much different from the 1990's when I was going through the hell of a teenage daughter with a strong independent personality who thought she knew it all. Anyway, her daughter sees things as a simple right and wrong conversation, but the realities of surviving are left to her mom, the one whose been particular about how honest she is with her for fear of scaring the kids or allowing them to think they're less than. She's one heck of a mom in a time when trying to care for oneself is hard enough, but to raise strong, resilient children is almost impossible.This will be another book that doesn't leave me soon. Both my parents survived the Great Depression, but for personal reasons never talked much about it. Every once in a while when my dad would tell a story of his childhood I could detect from the settings he used that he was one of the very poor in the 1930's. Little food, torn and outgrown clothes, no jobs, no money and hardship at every turn, but then I listen to stories my mom told and she was of the upper class and didn't go through any of this. I've always wondered how can this be? They lived miles from one another as kids, both of their sets of parents were hard working and caring people, the difference was money. It angers me that those who have are always making the decisions for those who don't . Blame it on capitalism, racism, cronyism or any other ism you can think of, to me it all boils down to a lack of humanity towards your fellow man/woman. When does kindness, caring and assisting those less fortunate come into the conversation? Are we again going to argue over ism's and whose right or wrong, or are we going to say enough is enough and begin treating others like we'd like to be treated, you know the golden rule we all learned as kids!I love Kristin Hannah and the way she can take a story of horrible circumstances and people's struggles and turn them into a need to read novel. Her research is always impeccable and her characters are real people with real problems and desires. Their stories need to be told, even though these are fictional characters, there are millions of everyday people who can relate to Elsa's strength, determination and persistence in her quest to better themselves in a world that's never on their side. The everyman/woman we all want to see make it. Through Hannah's books we get the chance to go back in history, hear the stories and see the resiliency of the human spirit again and again. Some are saying this one is just too depressing, yes it is, but sometimes we need to be uncomfortable in our own skin to have our eyes opened. Maybe because this story is being retold all over the US right now. Greed over need, power over what's good and just. sound bytes over action. This is a timely read and one that needs to be told. I suggest also reading Hannah's acknowledgements in the back of the book, it gave me insight into how she decided to write this one, what her inspiration was and a bit about where she stands on this nation in pain. Yes folks she's done it to me again, I don't cry over books, but this really rocked me. The Four Winds will be blowing through my mind for some time to come. Happy Reading!

I finished this book on Mother's day and it seems so fitting. This book perfect!y captures what it is to be a mom - sacrifice, doubt, and so much love you feel like your heart will burst at any minute."You are of me, Loreda, in a way that can never be broken. You taught me love. You, first in the whole world, and my love for you will outlive me."That said, reading this book made me feel so ashamed and angry about our history. Even more concerning, there seemed to be far too many parallels to current events. I hope everyone who read this learned a lesson and sees those parallels.

I stayed up late many nights reading this. It was intense, informative and oh so sad. It took me back in time , made me angry and hopeless. In the end there were just tears. A true Kristin Hannah read.

A warrior believes in an end she can’t see and fights for it. A warrior never gives up. A warrior fights for those weaker than herself. It sounds like motherhood to me.The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah is the harrowing and heartbreaking story of one mother as she navigated life through the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl and dealt with prejudice and injustice at every turn. Elsa never had anything worth fighting for until she laid eyes on her first born, Loreda, from that moment on she had a new fire in her life that she had never known, a love like no other. Kristin Hannah has a way of making you feel like you’re in the story, this was a hard book to read because of the hardships the families endured, I cried many times throughout. The MC, Elsa is one tough lady as were most of the characters, the actual people of the time period had to be of good moral character and had to have grit to survive day to day. The moral of this story I think, is that we’ve had tough times in the past and we’ve endured them, we’re going to have more tough times in the future and we’re going to get through it as long as we treat each other well and work together and work hard.

The Four Winds sweeps you into a storm of hardship and hope. Kristin Hannah’s meticulous research grounds the fictional Martinelli family so fully in Dust Bowl–era reality that you can almost taste the grit in the air. Every character—flawed, resilient, painfully human—mirrors some facet of ourselves, bridging the gulf between our own lives and the Great Depression. The result is a compulsively readable blend of history and heartache that both educates and exhilarates. By the final page, you’ll feel wiser, humbled, and breathless—proof that great storytelling can still teach even as it grips you by the collar.

A beautifully and expertly crafted tale of life during the Dust Bowl and the Depression. A story of perseverance and bravery during hard times and injustice. Valuable lessons that are applicable to the times we are living in. One of the best books I have ever read.

Very well written and a lot of it has stayed with me and made me grateful. I just hate to know people had to live this way. Probably my least favorite book of Kristin Hannah so far. But I won’t stop on this one. She is one of the best writers in my library.

This is an absolutely wonderful book. It tells the story of a woman who endured more than anyone should. It is set in the years from 1921 to 1940 and the great depression and the dust bowl years that followed. My parents and others of their generation lived through these times. I have a greater understanding of them after reading this book.