House of Earth

The artistry of Woody Guthrie’s voice has graced our ears for over 80 years, and for the first time, it is reaching us in narrative form. Written in 1947, House of Earth is Guthrie’s only full-length novel and has recently been published, making it available to folk fans nearly 66 years after its completion. Described as “a powerful portrait of Dustbowl America,” the novel follows Ella May and Tike Hamlin’s family struggle to protect themselves from the harsh challenges of farm life in the Texas panhandle. Having witnessed many accounts of this lifestyle in his 20s, Guthrie’s story commands a powerful voice. Intending the novel to evolve into a screenplay, Guthrie mailed it to filmmaker Irving Lerner, and it has remained buried in archives since the legendary musician’s death. Historian Douglas Brinkley recently discovered mention of the novel and began searching for it, eventually tracking it to Arizona. Brinkley and actor Johnny Depp co-wrote the introduction and also edited the novel, which will be the first published under Depp’s new imprint with HarperCollins. They emphasize that it is historically significant for its celebration of the families who held their ground rather than moving west to avoid the hardships of farming in the Great Plains. With their determination and sense of purpose, Ella May and Tike Hamlin harken back to perhaps Guthrie’s most famous words: This land is our land.

-Jess Sepe