James N. Gregory, in his lecture "The Dust Bowl Migration: Poverty Stories, Race Stories," went beyond the superficial rumors about stories of the Great Depression and Dust Bowl; instead, he deeply explored the time period and critically studied what life was like for disparate walks of life during this decade. Verily, the 1930s marked a crucial and devastating era in American history, as many poor families migrated and struggled for survival. In The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck described the story of a family of Dust Bowl migrants, the Joads, who fled Oklahoma to California in search of better employment, more decent wages, and a life of pleasure. Not only did a series of relentless winds uproot their crops and turn their farmland into a wasteland, but the banks, fearing loss of business, forced them off their land. Though Gregory seemed to sympathize with these migrants, he also...