Agriculture and Rural Life

September 2026 Adult Book List

To the Stars Through Difficulties by Romalyn Tilghman
In this fiction book set in Kansas, three women from New Hope help rebuild the tornado-stricken town of Prairie Hill by creating a library and arts center, discovering courage, resourcefulness, and self-worth.
Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth by Sarah Smarsh
This memoir explores growing up in a rural Kansas family, highlighting poverty, inequality, and class in America.
Running Out by Lucas Bessire
Lucas Bessire investigates the shrinking Ogallala aquifer and its impact on his family and the High Plains, offering a personal and urgent reflection on environmental change, responsibility, and sustainability.
Nothing but the Dirt by Kate Benz
Kate Benz’s creative nonfiction offers an intimate look at life in Courtland, Kansas, showing through first-person stories how residents confront challenges and work to sustain and revitalize their farming community.
Next Year Country by Craig Miner
Craig Miner chronicles life in western Kansas from 1890 to 1940, showing how residents confronted environmental hardships, technological changes, and social challenges while building a resilient rural community.

Flyover People: Life on the Ground in a Rectangular State, Cheryl Unruh
A Kansas Year, Mike Blair
The Last Rancher, Robert Rebein
Ogallala Blue: Water and Life on the High Plains, William Ashworth
The Ogallala Road: A Memoir of Love and Reckoning, Julene Bair
Prairie Bachelor: The Story of a Kansas Homesteader and the Populist Movement, Lynda Beck Fenwick
The Small-Town Midwest: Resilience and Hope in the Twenty-First Century, Julianne Couch
Survival of Rural America: Small Victories and Bitter Harvests, Richard E. Wood
Time's Shadow: Remembering a Family Farm in Kansas, Arnold J. Bauer
The Youngest Brother: On a Kansas Wheat Farm During the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression, C. Hugh Snyder

One Kansas Farmer by Devin Scillian; Doug Bowles (Illustrator)
This fun and educational counting book highlights Kansas’s culture, history, and landmarks for young readers.
Years of Dust by Albert Marrin
This book explains the 1930s Dust Bowl, showing how drought and poor farming caused massive storms that transformed the Great Plains and affected its people.
Farmers Unite! by Lindsay H. Metcalf
In 1979, thousands of U.S. farmers drove their tractors to Washington, D.C. to protest unfair prices and demand economic justice, enduring a snowstorm and gaining national attention. Journalist Lindsay H. Metcalf shares this powerful story of perseverance, showing how the farmers’ bold stand helped remind Americans of their vital role, even as lasting change took time.

Visit Your Public Library
Provides a directory of Kansas public libraries where you can find titles from this month's reading list or request a book through interlibrary loan.

Kansas Book Festival
Visit the State Library booth then enjoy author talks, live music and exhibitors.
Washburn University Library
1731 Plass, Topeka KS 66621

Encourage patrons to volunteer for the Library of Congress By the People program
Host a community volunteer recruiting and appreciation event

America Gives
Go to the Kansas State Fair
Friday, September 11 to Sunday, September 20, 2026
2000 N Poplar Street, Hutchinson KS 67502
Kansas Agritourism
There's no better way to connect with your food, fuel, and fiber than by connecting with the people that grow it. Agritourism is a unique experience that combines traditional agriculture with tourism.

As Kansas and America 250 events, exhibits and ideas grow, this page will as well.