Books like Whose Names Are Unknown by Sanora Babb
Set in the Oklahoma Panhandle and the California valleys of the 1930s, Whose Names Are Unknown follows the Dunne family—Milt, Julia, their two daughters, and Milt’s father—as they endure cramped living conditions and food shortages while holding onto hope. Forced by drought to leave their land, they join the mass exodus to California, only to confront an abusive labor system that labels them “Okies” and subjects them to low wages and violence. The novel chronicles how the community’s shared experience of hardship sparks a collective resolve, leading the Dunnes and their neighbors to organize, protest, and fight for better working conditions and mutual support.
First publish date: 2004
Genre: Historical Fiction/20th Century Historical Fiction
Authors: Sanora Babb
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