2026 Fall Read: Wind & Weather
From the whisper of the wind to the fury of a blizzard, weather has shaped life on the High Plains—and the stories we tell about it.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
and/or
And Hell Followed With It by Bonar Menninger
Every High Plains family seems to have a tornado story. Some are rooted in history. Some become family legends. Others begin with the simple words, "My dad always used to say..." Long before weather apps, Doppler radar, and instant alerts, people learned to live with the uncertainty of tornadoes by sharing stories—some practical, some reassuring, and some simply unforgettable.
This year's paired selection explores two very different ways of understanding one of nature's most powerful storms. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz transformed a Kansas tornado into one of America's most enduring works of fiction, carrying Dorothy from the prairie into a world of imagination and possibility.
And Hell Followed With It recounts the devastating 1966 Topeka tornado, where the long-held belief that Burnett's Mound protected the city was shattered by one of the most destructive storms in Kansas history.
Together, these books invite us to explore how tornadoes become both folklore and history—and how the stories they leave behind help define a place and its people.
Our discussion leader, Glenda Shepherd, is a retired high school English teacher whose roots run deep in southwest Kansas. Raised near Richfield, educated at Oklahoma Panhandle State University and Fort Hays State University, and now living in rural Stanton County, she has spent her career helping generations of students discover the power of literature while living with the realities of prairie weather. From the classroom to Yucca Corners Farm, Glenda brings both literary insight and lived experience to this conversation, reminding us that the stories we cherish often grow from the places we know best.
Whether remembered through fiction, family stories, or historical accounts, tornadoes have long occupied a unique place in the culture of the Great Plains. These two books remind us that while storms eventually pass, the stories they leave behind continue to shape our communities and connect one generation to the next.
Great books. Good conversations.
