Out of the Dust

I loved every bit of “Out of the Dust.” It was hard but real and you could feel the emotion of the narrator through each page. I had never read a book written in free verse and I was hesitant at first but really found it fascinating and powerful. The book follows Billie Jo through her life during the Dust Bowl. After losing her hands, her mother, and unborn brother to an accidental fire, Billie Jo has a lot going against her, and then there’s the dust. I thought the description of the dust in this book was great and overwhelming and I could feel myself along side the characters. I also appreciated how they stayed through it all. So many migrated West and although it temped Billie Jo once, they toughed it out which gave a unique show more perspective on perseverance, loyalty, and trust in rain. show less

I remembered reading this book when I was much younger in elementary school and, after reading it as an adult, I can't believe how my teachers were allowed to let children that hadn't even reached puberty yet read this novel; it covers a lot of pretty heavy stuff, like the loss of a parent and the subsequent depression. Perhaps it was the free-verse-poetry form Hesse uses to tell the story that allowed this book to sneak under parental radar; what novel written in poetry form could cover anything so important?

Hesse's novel Out of the Dust reveals what life was like living in the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression through the story of 14-year-old Billy Joe Kelby. Her use of free-verse poetry makes the book an easy read full of show more beautiful and poignant descriptions that bring to life the everyday occurrences of the people struggling against the elements. I can tell if something has struck a chord with me when I have to close the book and savor the words for a while before moving on; Hesse does just that. Throughout it all, though, is this underlying hope that things will get better - that the rain will come, that Billy Joe's hands will play piano again, or that her dad will come out of his slump and acknowledge his own daughter. Her use of poetry cuts straight to the heart of the matter, bypassing all the verbosity authors can sometimes fall into with prose. I feel like this would be a great book to use in an ELA classroom that coincides with what students might be learning in their history or social studies classes. Also, this book could possibly be used as a transitional piece from a unit on prose to a unit on poetry. show less

5Q 3P (my codes)
The flap copy says, "...Karen Hesse's spare and moving novel explores both the ecology of the land and the topography of the heart." This is a perfect description. Each poem is expertly molded from dust and want and loss, infused with a shower of hope and optimism in Billie Joe's indefatigable spirit. Seasons mark the passage of the story, punctuated by events around the country--Kilauea, Amarillo. Strength is needed to get through such a tough life; hands are needed to work the land. But after a terrible accident, strength and hands are wounded deeply--Can Billie Jo forgive, forge ahead, and heal?

This book had an uphill battle to win me over. Upon opening the book, I was unpleasantly surprised to find the book was written in free verse (I generally find this type of poetry pretentious and overrated.) But the further I read, I realized how nicely it suited the story. And I loved this book.

And don't read the inside of the book jacket. It will spoil something. I was thankful I didn't think to read the summary until after I finished.

I had never read a novel in verse before. That made quite a powerful way of telling the story of a family during the Dust Bowl. The author has brought to life the hopelessness, the utter desperation, of watching the farm blow away… again. I’ve never been in Oklahoma, but by reading this book I can feel like I was there during those years. More tragedies struck Billy Jo’s family than the dust storms, though, and she couldn’t imagine life ever being good again. However, Billie Jo learned that she had incredible strength within herself. Would it be enough to bring her through to better times? This book is for preteens and early teens who are mature enough to understand tragedy.

14-year-old Billie Jo lives with her parents on a struggling farm on the Oklahoma panhandle in 1934. She's a bit of a tomboy, plain and angular, with a love for playing the piano, but not the gentle and sweet music that her mother plays -- "fierce piano," Billie Jo calls it. Dust is a constant in their lives, getting into every crevice, smothering the wheat crop, choking the livestock. When she sees neighbors leaving for California, she wishes she could go along, get out of the dust. When tragedy strikes her family, will she get her chance to do just that?

This Newbery winner is a verse novel, with writing that sometimes feels like poetry, but often could have been rendered in prose. The emotional impact is definitely the most striking show more part of the book, with a tragic twist in the first third of the novel that Billie must reckon with for the rest of the story. I was unaware, going in, of any details of the plot beyond the general setting, so the story really grabbed me at that point. I generally don't seek out books about the Great Depression or the Dust Bowl, and probably wouldn't have gravitated to this one except for its status as an award winner. I'm glad that I read it, and can see its quality. I'd recommend it to adults with an interest in historical fiction, as well as to middle- and high-school students. show less

I was first introduced to this novel in the 7th grade and instantly connected with the story. Out of the Dust explores the life of fourteen-year-old Billie Jo growing up in the dust bowl years of the Depression in Oklahoma. A terrible accident occurs that changes Billie Jo's life forever, scarring her inside and out. Her mother tragically dies, her father can't seem to talk about it, and the only thing that might make her feel like herself again (her piano) is out of reach because of her wounded hands. The dust storms are devastating her family farm and are negatively impacting all of the farms nearby. While others flee from the dust bowl, Billie Jo is left to find peace within herself and in the desolate landscape of Oklahoma. This show more intimate novel is written in stanza form, which poetically conveys the heat, dust and wind of Oklahoma and paints a vivid picture of Billie Jo's emotions. After losing my Pop in the 3rd grade I was able to relate to Billie Jo's loss and grief. Now, after losing my Papaw to Covid a few weeks ago, I relate to Billie Jo's feelings even more than I did in middle school. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys poetry or finds interest in an emotional, gripping story based on true events. I would love to explore this novel and its many themes (loss, grief, forgiveness, family, and the environment) with my middle school students and incorporate it into my lesson plans over poetry. show less