Paradise on the Plains is a misnomer. The use of the word "paradise" is intended to be humorous. The era depicted in the book (1920-1946) was a difficult time for so many families living on the Great Plains. It was an era that illuminates the errors of homesteaders attempting to farm dry land in an area where the annual rainfall is less than sixteen inches. There is historical significance to the tale. There actually were a few, such as the main character, who did become wealthy while millions were going broke. Bernard Baruch was one man who become extremely wealthy during the Great Depression. It was he who said, "Buy when the blood is flowing in the streets." However, it would serve us all greatly to remember that "under all the lies the land", and we very nearly destroyed that land.,About the Author: Author, Keith Cook, grew to manhood in the area that historians once described as the Great American Desert--on the plains of western Kansas and eastern Colorado. He is a plainsman at heart. Cook has published numerous short stories in the Eastern Colorado Plainsman and the Colorado Historical Societies' quarterly magazine, The Cowboy Heritage. He studied Business Administration at the University of Denver. While in his sixties, he attended Southwest Baptist University and continued his studies in American History. Writing this book reminded him of an old western saying: "Go after life as if it's something that's got to be roped in a hurry before it gets away."