What a stunning piece. The writing is eloquent. It’s obvious that #SuzetteDHarrison has done extensive research.

Set in dual timelines with two very strong
female characters, this is an emotional story deeply about racism that will resonate with me for a long time.

Thank you, Suzette Harrison, bookouture & netgalley for my ecopy. All opinions are my own.

In a Nutshell: A great read for historical fiction lovers, as long as you can forgive the excessive coincidences in the final quarter.

Story Synopsis:
1935, Oklahoma. Fifteen-year-old Faith, along with her five-year-old sister Hope and the rest of her family is on her way to California in a bid to escape the heat of the Dust Bowl. When a “black blizzard” comes along their path, the two girls are separated from their parents and brother. As girls of mixed Black-Native American origin, how will they ensure that their skin colour doesn’t endanger them? Will they be reunited with their family?
Present day, California. Zoe Edwards is struggling to mend her heart after the death of her newborn and the infidelity of her soon-to-be-ex husband. As she throws herself into her work cataloguing old photographs for a museum exhibition, she comes across a photo of a teenage girl with a startling resemblance to her. Who is this mysterious girl and why does she resemble Zoe?
The story comes to us in the first person perspectives of Faith and Zoe.

Where the book worked for me:
❤ The writing is wonderfully descriptive of the era. The era as well as the locales are vividly recreated.
❤ For a change, both timelines kept me equally invested. There’s no repetition of events nor a dip in the pace of the proceedings. There was enough to keep me invested throughout the story.
❤ The characters, especially in the historical timeline, are memorable. I especially love the sisters’ names: Charity, Faith and Hope. Some of the secondary characters are a shade too clichéd but they work for the story.
❤ The story covers many relevant themes such as racism (against Blacks as well as Indians), patriarchy, religious zealotry, infidelity, family bonds, and the importance of supportive relationships. Most of these are written wonderfully.
❤ There’s a slight element of magical realism in the historical timeline, and it works brilliantly for the story.
❤ As this is an OwnVoices book, you can rest assured that the representation is outstanding. It is so diligent that even when topics such as favourite music or favourite books come up, the answer is invariably the name of a Black artist. I loved how it provided a stage to those who don’t often get it.
❤ Some of you might have heard of Florence Thomson, the subject of the famous depression-era photograph “Migrant Mother”. I loved how the author wove that photo into the proceedings and cast light on photographer Dorothea Lange's bias. I love it when historical fiction teaches me something I never knew.

Where the book could have worked better for me:
💔 I don’t particularly enjoy it when romance forces its way into historical fiction. Sometimes, it is well done and I let it go. But in the contemporary timeline of this book, the romance felt shoehorned in. Zoe didn’t need to get a man to find happiness once again.
💔 Zoe’s potential love interest was supposedly sexy, and the author won’t let you forget this fact at all. It gets reiterated time and again. I felt like yelling, “I got it! He is sexy! Stop reminding me!”
💔 So many coincidences, especially in the final quarter. You need plenty of suspension of disbelief to accept all the serendipitous happenings without rolling your eyes.

Overall, it was definitely an enjoyable read. If you can discount the unrealistic coincidences, the story will offer a lot with its realistic lead characters and depiction of past events.

4.25 stars.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Dust Bowl Orphans”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Historical Fiction. Romance Fiction.
Seemed slow at the beginning but then, the story captures you as it goes along and you will not want to put it down!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book. I liked the plot very much and the mystery that went with it but the writing style is not very appealing to me.

A heart-wrenching emotional drama that will keep readers riveted to the page, The Dust Bowl Orphans is the unforgettable new novel by Suzette D. Harrison.

Oklahoma, 1935 and fifteen year old Faith Wilson and her little sister Hope are making the long and arduous journey to California. The road ahead is going to be fraught with obstacles and challenges, but there is simply nothing Faith won’t do for a better future for her family – even if means walking through the Dust Bowl in worn-down shoes. However, when a terrible storm separates the girls from their parents, the two sisters realise that they’ve got nobody they can rely on other than themselves. Forced to sleep on the streets, Faith and Hope need to lie low and not attract attention, especially given people’s prejudices. When the sisters finally manage to secure a room in a boarding house, they think they’ve finally found a safe place – even if Faith cannot shake off this feeling that there is something about her landlady she cannot trust. Forced to leave her little sister behind while she looks for her parents, has Faith made the biggest mistake of her life leaving Hope with a perfect stranger? Will the sisters ever be reunited with their parents? Or is everything desperate and hopeless?

In the present day, Zoe finds herself in desperate need of distraction. Reeling from her divorce and grieving the child she has lost, she feels adrift and completely alone. Work proves to be her salvation – until she comes across an old photo of a teenage girl that looks exactly like her. Having spent most of her life burdened by questions about her history, Zoe is determined to uncover the secrets of her past and she discovers a heart-breaking story of courage, resilience and bravery. Will these revelations help Zoe to come to terms with her own heartbreak and disappointments? Will she find the answers she seeks? Or will she be floored by what she finds out about the past?

Suzette D Harrison’s The Dust Bowl Orphans is a powerful and inspirational tale of sacrifice, survival and love that tugs at the heartstrings and will make readers weep. Beautifully written, sensitively told and richly drawn, The Dust Bowl Orphans is a story about family, endurance and the power of love that is haunting, mesmerizing and impossible to put down.

This is the second book I’ve read by this author and it’s just incredible. Yet again she manages to craft characters that are so real and that you really care about, and to make history come alive through them.

The story has a dual timeline, with Zoe in the present day, and Faith in the past, and each chapter alternates between the two. I liked both perspectives, but I particularly found Faith’s narrative to be so compelling.

Everything about this book makes for a really special read. The descriptions of the tumultuous events in Oklahoma just transported me there and as the links between the past and present began to join up, I was completely transfixed by the plot.

A really moving and special book, it really is one that will stay with me forever.

I spotlighted The Dust Bowl Orphans as book of the day and included it in my weekly and monthly roundups of new releases on my Black Fiction Addiction platforms. I also interviewed the author.

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Excellent Historical By Mrs. Suzette D. Harrison!! 🖤🤗🖤
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2022
Verified Purchase
I thought “The Girl at the Back of the Bus” was excellent, but Mrs. Harrison has provided us with another exceptional historical in this story!! Like the last, we alternated between the past and the present! I absolutely loved this because I was able to understand how they weaved together!!

I had moments of both laughter and tears!! This was a very emotional read, as well as very informative!! I encourage you to grab your copy and sit back and enjoy!! You’ll be glad you did!! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it!! As Always, Kudos, Suzette!

I loved the cover of the book which drew my attention, and the synopsis sounded great. After reading one chapter, I began to doubt I had made the right choice, but after a couple more, I was hooked. This clever book touches on issues which are as relevant today as they were in the 1930s, especially in the United States. We start with sisters Fait and Hope in 1935, struggling to survive in a hostile environment. Then the story switches to Zoe in present day California, trying to focus on anything but the loss of her child, and a failed marriage. Will the photo she finds give her the answers she needs?

I have to admit that I liked pretty much every character, even the disagreeable ones. They all had their distinct personalities, but Faith stood head and shoulders above the rest in my humble opinion. The decisions she had to make at that young age would have been overwhelming for many adults. I felt protective of Faith and Hope, and then in turn for Zoe. They were fully formed, likeable and relatable.

Overall, I am so glad to have read this book. It really opened my eyes to the conditions people had to live in back then, and how so many young people had no choice but to try and fend for themselves. Would I recommend this book? Of course yes! I think this book should be required reading at school. I gave The Dustbowl Orphans, by Suzette D. Harrison Books, five stars.

Suzette Harrison’s new novel begins in Oklahoma, 1935, where a family is separated by a freak black blizzard, leaving two sisters alone in a devastated landscape. Unable to find their parents and brother, they have no choice but to make their way west with a family of fanatical evangelists. Once in California their encounters with various forms of fanaticism and racism indelibly impact the lives of the two girls.
Both timelines here are well-drawn, but the regularity with which chapters flip back and forth between 1935 and present day made the pacing feel uneven. I would have liked to see the story dwell more on Faith’s Depression-era journey by lengthening those sections, before moving forward again. The present-day story centres on Zoe Edwards who is curating an exhibition on the African-American migration, which has been literally ‘white-washed’, the reality of Black participation all but eradicated. During her efforts to tell the Black migrants’ story, she comes across a photograph of a group of young people, one of whom could be her twin. Curious as to the likeness she begins researching the girl in the photo.
This is an interesting mystery about family, love, hardship, perseverance and hope. Although I found a few events a little too coincidental, and I’m not a fan of italic asides, it is, nonetheless, a well-told deeply emotional journey of family and faith, which will be enjoyed by many fans of historical novels.

A captivating story of family torn apart, fighting to be reunited. The characters are so well drawn and the plot so well paced, I couldn’t put it down. This is definitely one of those special books that I will keep on my shelves to go back to and reread. It says a lot that I am still thinking about this book a few days after finishing it - I will definitely be recommending this one!

The Dust Bowl Orphans is the story of the Wilson Family during the western migration caused by the severe drought in 1935, and in present day when Zoe Edwards (nee Wilson) comes across a picture of a teenager that could be her twin. The story in 1935 is told by Faith Wilson. It begins when her family suffers one final tragedy before her father finally agrees to leave their farm in Oklahoma. Shortly after leaving home, one of the biggest dust storms ever, called a "Black Blizzard" separates the family. Fifteen year old Faith and her five year old sister. Hope, are rescued by a white family, the Owenslees and taken to Los Angeles, California where they hope to be reunited with her parents and brother. Their time in LA is not what they were expecting. Sadness, tragedy, poor treatment and racism affect their lives, but everyone is not bad. In present day, Zoe becomes obsessed with finding out who is in the picture and what is their tie or relationship. The clock is ticking as grandparents who might have the answers are in their 90s and their memories are not what they used to be.

This is the second book I have read by author Suzette D. Harrison and I have enjoyed them both. I have also read other stories set during this timeframe, but this is the first that dealt with African Americans that were also involved in this migration. The characters in the story were well-developed and had me caring very much what was going to happen to them. I felt for Faith and Hope and wanted them to be reunited with their family. There were some twists in their story, both good and not so good, that had my jaw dropping. All the secondary characters added much to the story and I liked how they all made their marks. I have to say, I enjoyed the storyline from the past a bit more, but I was also invested in Zoe's story. She was a museum curator who was putting together an exhibit to showcase what the African American migrants dealt with and that they were part of this story. I liked the comment Zoe made about the reason behind her exhibit, "in a world obsessed with documentation, I didn't want us to be erased because of lack of it." The stories were told in alternate chapters and both times intertwined well. This is a story about hardship, family, protecting those you love, perseverance, identity and hope. I always like a story that teaches me something as well as making me care about the characters. This book does both and I don't hesitate to recommend it to those who enjoy historical fiction.

Last year it was The Girl at the Back of the Bus that proved to be my favorite book of the year, and so far this book, The Dust Bowl Orphans, is right up there filling that spot. In this book, families became refugees during the black blizzard of the night during the 1930s. For Faith Wilson and her family, they struggled to survive the most difficult of times.

This incredibly engaging read by Suzette D. Harrison reminded me of a book that I read last year by Kristin Hannah, The Four Winds. We have a different set of protagonists in this book, as our characters were Black and their drama seemed all that more intense considering the prejudices that pressed those in even harsher ways than other people suffering the effects of the dust storms of the 1930s.

Faith and Hope lost their parents in the storm. The girls struck out on their own and headed to the land of plenty, California. Faith did whatever she could to protect Hope every step of the way. Although they started off with their brother and parents, they were seperated, leaving Faith and Hope on their own. Being Black at such a time only increased their trials. In fact, a hundredfold compared to what many went through.

The story shifted to the present with Zoe, an art curator who discovered an old picture of a child that could have been her twin. Who was in this picture and why does Zoe resemble her so much? Zoe is determined to trace her past, to discover the source of the picture, and to try and rebuild her life after experiencing great personal loss.

This story slowly connects Faith and Hope's past with Zoe's present. Faith's story was utterly heartbreaking, and just so compelling, that this book was impossible to put down. As the story unfolded Harrison seamlessly blended these stories together, bringing in more than one surpise along the way. Some of the issues in this book were truly shocking, including the religious zealots that played a role in Faith's life. Strength, courage, drama and emotion all played pivotal roles in this powerful story.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

I was immediately attracted to this book because I loved reading the Four Winds, by Kristin Hannah. Loved the dual timeline of this story. A story of hardship and survival during such hard times for much of America.

This was such an amazing story that I couldn't put down. Faith and her younger sister Hope get separated from the rest of their family when a Dust Bowl appears and they end up hiding in a cellar. Once they are rescued, their rescuers take them to California, and their life is changed even more. Years later, a museum curator finds a picture from the past that takes her on a journey to find out the truth. A dual time period story that keeps you engrossed from beginning to end.

I absolutely loved this story. There were twists and turns and it was just such a well written story. I was shocked and mesmerized throughout the entire book. I loved how it flowed and how the story was resolved. Kudos on such a great job. It makes me all the more to research my family's history.

I received a copy of the book via netgalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

The Dust Bowl Orphans, by Suzette D. Harrison, was a powerfully written historical fiction novel set during the dust bowl of the 1930s. The struggle to survive is heartwrenching and portrayed in a way that will stay with me for a long while. Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

This book has #allthefeels.
Heart wrenching story of family, survival and sacrifice. Beautiful story.
After a family tragedy, the Wilsons' are leaving their family land in Oklahoma, dreaming of California. After a black dust storm, Faith and Hope are seperated from their family.
Present Day - Zoe has returned to California to curate an exhibit, showcasing those forgotten Oakies in the mass exodus, African Americans. Beautiful strangers until the collection's owner shows Zoe a haunting picture - two young African American girls with two white boys. One face an almost replica of Zoe's own.

This book is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. Already a contender for best this year, and I don’t see that changing. Such a wonderfully written story. Nothing I could say would do it justice.

I was drawn to this book by the beautiful cover and just knew I needed to read it. It took me a few chapters to get into the story and I admit to feeling slightly nervous thinking maybe it wasn’t for me. Well how wrong was I. This story just took off for me and I was completely hooked. The story is told in two timelines, present day and the 1930’s. I can honestly say I loved the story behind both timelines. There were times I actually had a lump in my throat reading this book and there were tears. This is a book I throughly recommend but have the tissues near by as you will need them.

I absolutely adored this book! Once I started, it was tough to put this down, especially as the story progressed! This multiple-perspective novel switches back and forth between 1935 and the present day. The reader follows two girls, Faith and Hope Wilson, on their cross-country journey from Oklahoma to California as they escape the hardship of the Dust Bowl only to find themselves facing a whole new set of challenges. In the present, Zoe Edwards, a museum curator discovers a connection to the past while preparing an art exhibition on African-American migrants of the Dust Bowl era.
This book had me in tears, but for all the right reasons! With plenty of twists and turns, a strong plot, and incredible characters, you will certainly be hooked on this book! This alternative perspective on an event typically presented from the white point of view is also truly refreshing and insightful. The themes of family and resilience are also ones that many readers can resonate with. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction.