Written decades ago but just recently discovered and published, House of Earth is the fictional story of Tike and Ella May Hamlin, Texas sharecroppers who, after reading a government pamphlet about how to build a house using adobe, have the notion to get out of their run down wooden shack and build their own "house of earth," a dream that seems to remain always out of reach. Woody Guthrie is well known for his folk songs, and this book is written in a similar style, using the language of the people; his writing is unique, unsophisticated, and authentic. The story is simple, as it follows the couple in their daily life and having their first baby, but the message is a much deeper proletarian view, showing the struggles that hard working impoverished people faced in the Dust Bowl Era, and may leave the reader pondering similar struggles faced in today's world, just in different settings.
Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3513.U9 H68 2013, 2nd Floor Humanities
Review submitted by Andrew Tessandori, Cataloging Assistant, Leatherby Libraries
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