Sanora Babb came of age before the Depression, and when the Dust Bowl came and swept the folks of the great plains west, she was among them hearing their story and recording it. She published a few books much later as non-fiction histories of the times. If the subject matter sounds familiar, then chances are good you've heard of The Grapes of Wrath.
Steinbeck and Babb didn't work together, and maybe Steinbeck's people can show he did his own research and didn't crib hers, but The Grapes of Wrath and Whose Names are Unknown were set to be published nearly simultaneously, but Grapes... got to the market first, and then exploded. Babb's publisher decided the country couldn't handle two novels covering the same subject. Can you imagine that today? Once one thing is successful, there are hundreds of impostors almost immediately.
In any case, an act of literary injustice was committed when they shelved Sanora's work for 70-80 years. This book was just published in the last few years, and I wouldn't have heard about it if it hadn't been requested as a Decemberween present.
The title comes from bank eviction notices on foreclosed upon farms: "The Residents, whose names are unknown, are hereby evicted."
Reclaiming some American history...who says the ladies can't join the Okie exodus and take notes and write a novel about it...
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