The Dust Bowl Orphans

By: Suzette D. Harrison

Narrated by: Jordan Frazier, Rachel Handshaw

Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's Summary

The dust cloud rolls in from nowhere, stinging our eyes and muddling our senses. I reach for my baby sister and pull her small body close to me. When the sky clears, we are alone on an empty road, with no clue which way to go....

Oklahoma, 1935: Fifteen-year-old Faith Wilson takes her little sister Hope’s hand. In worn-down shoes, they walk through the choking heat of the Dust Bowl, toward a new life in California. But when a storm blows in, the girls are separated from their parents. How will they survive in a place where just the color of their skin puts them in terrible danger?

Starving and forced to sleep on the streets, Faith thinks a room in a small boarding house will keep her sister safe. But the glare in the landlady’s eye, as Faith leaves in search of their parents, has her wondering if she’s made a dangerous mistake. Who is this woman, and what does she want with sweet, little Hope? Trapped, will the sisters ever find their way back to their family?

California, present day: Reeling from her divorce and grieving the child she lost, Zoe Edwards feels completely alone in the world. Throwing herself into work, cataloguing old photos for an exhibition, she sees an image of a teenage girl who looks exactly like her, and a shiver grips her. Could this girl be a long-lost relation, someone to finally explain the holes in Zoe’s family history? Diving into the secrets in her past, Zoe unravels this young girl’s heartbreaking story of bravery and sacrifice. But will anything prepare her for the truth about who she is?

A devastating, completely captivating story of family torn apart, fighting to be reunited. Fans of Orphan Train, Before We Were Yours, and Where the Crawdads Sing will never forget this powerful story of survival.

©2022 Bookouture, an imprint of Storyfire Ltd. (P)2022 Bookouture, an imprint of Storyfire Ltd.

It MIGHT be good , I will never know

The story line is great. The character build is great. The narrator for young Faith is on point. Her voice is the one you hear in the sample .The second narrator’s performance is the one that made me throw in the towel after 3 hours. You can hear the over kill in her voice. Trying to portray Zoey is so annoying I just cannot endure 7 more hours of her exaggeration. I don’t think the she could sound anymore fake if she tried.

Good Story with a Poor Narrator

I enjoyed listening to this story though I roughly listened to only half. The narrator for Zoey was terrible. She sounded angry and it felt as though she was yelling rather than narrating. I was only able to listen to her final chapter and it tied the book together. The narrator for Faith did an excellent job.

Great family story

Loved the story once I realized how it was being told. Great story of finding your roots.

A Great Story

I will suggest this book to everyone now. Zoe's voice is annoying but good book overall.

Family and the Importance

I enjoyed this audiobook overall. I was wanting it to pick up more in the beginning but as I kept listening I was locked into both Faith and Zoe’s story. It breaks my heart when families, especially black families become disconnected but I Loooovveeedddd the reuniting. I was so interested in this journey and how they connected! So much to take in, it was a beautiful story!!

Bawling

I don't know where to begin? Initially, I was on the fence. By the time I got to the end, I was a weeping mess. This book grabbed every emotion. I could see everything. Faye Faye, Hope, Noah, and Miss Viv, even Micah. I feel like I know them. Connectedness is SO empowering! I think my sister would love this book. The colorism amongst our people is a real thing. I think another thing that made the story more poignant to me is that recently my sister and I had lunch at the famous Dunbar Hotel. We walked around. I took pictures and I just stood in the parking lot and took it all in. The history that place holds as a monument to things that we've had to overcome as a people. I could walk there from my childhood home but did not know the power of the place. It is now housing for seniors with a years long waiting list and a restaurant with amazing ambiance. This story will be with me for a long time and is one of the best books I've read this year. I am encouraged!

Five Brightly Shining stars

Wow!!! What a story. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and sometimes it made me stay up late at night to finish a chapter. The narrator was on point, and there were some sections of the book that made me cringe, cry and stop reading to digest what I had just heard. All in all, a must-read!

Should be a movie

This is an amazing book. I loved every moment!!!!! Definitely should be on the big screen.

Excellent

This was a beautiful story. I was captivated from start to finish. Narration was spot on. I will definitely listen to this again.