OUT OF THE DUST

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hesse, Karen. 1997. OUT OF THE DUST. New York: Scholastic. ISBN 0590376195

PLOT SUMMARY
Billie Jo is growing up in Oklahoma in the 1930 when the panhandle was having many struggles with dust storms. The verse novel discusses the hard life style that Billie Jo had growing up. Her father attempts to grow wheat off of the land, yet the dust and lack of rain destroy all hopes of a good crop. Billie Jo’s father leaves a pot of kerosene on the stove and her ma and baby brother dies from the burns that resulted from Billie Jo trying to get rid of the kerosene by throwing it out the front door. Left behind are Billie Jo with severely burnt hands and her father. The story follows them through their struggles and mourning their losses. When Billie Jo finally decides to run away, she realizes that there is no place like home and is quick to return and repair the relationship with her father and help him rebuild their farm.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Karen Hesse’s utilization of verse in the writing of this novel makes it very readable and enjoyable. She utilizes first person to enable the reader to feel connected to what she is writing. The content is bleak at times, yet the book is fast paced due to the free verse writing style. I found Billie Jo to be a strong character; she went through a lot in a short period of time. The pain she must have felt after she burnt her hands. She states “I keep my raw and stinging hands behind my back when he comes near, because he stares when he sees them.” At 14 she had suffered so much, yet she found strength in herself to push forward and find peace at home. This book will help students understand what life was like in 1930 and how different it is from today.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Reviewed in Horn Book: “nearly every word informed by longing, provides an immediacy that expressively depicts both a grim historical era and one’s family healing.”
Reviewed in Booklist: “This is an excellent book for discussion, and many of the poems stand alone sufficiently to be used as powerful supplements to a history lesson.”
Newberry Medal Winner, 1998, Notable Children’s Books, 1998, Best Books for Young Adults, 1998, and Booklist Editors’ Choice: Books for Youth, 1997.

CONNECTIONS
*Incorporate writing verse poetry into an upcoming lesson plan, allow students to write about a topic important to them relating to family.
*Other engaging verse novels:
Frost, Helen. DIAMOND WILLOW. ISBN 9780374317768
Hesse, Karen. ALEUTIAN SPARROW. ISBN 0689861893
Hesse, Karen. Witness. ISBN 0439271991