Out of the Dust

Bibliography

Hesse, Karen. 1997. Out of the Dust. New York: Scholastic. ISBN 0590360809

Plot Summary

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse is a story of a family struggling to survive the during the Depression and terrible wind storms called The Dust Bowl. In diary form, Billie Joe tells of her life with her mother and father and the dust that permeates every part of her life. Billie Joe loves to play the piano and hopes that one day it will take her out of the dust. When a tragic event occurs, Billie Joe is faced with not only the loss of a loved one but also with the loss of her ability express herself through music. Slowly the pain and emotional hurt heal leaving readers with the idea that there is hope even though tragedies occur.

Critical Analysis

In free verse, Hesse's use of language, imagery and emotions succintly explains the harships
endured by Billie Joe and her family. As Billie Joe tells her story, her voice shines through. Although she has lived on an Oklahoma farm her whole life, she is well aware that there are many things that she does not know about. In one entry titled "What I Don't Know" Billy Joe expresses dismay that one of her classmates knows about Madame Butterfly. "How does that singing plowboy know something I don't" (pg. 42). The vivid imagery effectively forces the reader to go through the same sorrows and joys that Billy Joe experiences. In one entry, Billie Joe describes her trip home through a dust storm . "Dust Storm" illustrates these horrible storms. "Brown earth rained down from sky. I could not catch my breath the way the dust pressed on my chest and wouldn't stop. The dirt blew down so thick it scratched my eyes."(pg. 143) Although there are no illustrations in the novel, the use of free verse allows the read to see the images clearly. Throughout the story, the emotions are clearly understood and can be physically felt by the reader. Your heart actually aches for Billie Joe. As we all know, time eases the pain and the story of Billie Joe is no different. The last entry dated December 1935 finds hope "And I am learning, watching Daddy, that you can stay in one place and still grow...I stretch my fingers over the keys, and I play." (pg. 226-227)

Review Excerpts

Kirkus
Billie Jo tells of her life in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl. Told in free-verse poetry of dated entries that span the winter of 1934 to the winter of 1935, this is an unremittingly bleak portrait of one corner of Depression-era life. In Billie Jo, the only character who comes to life, Hesse (The Music of Dolphins, 1996, etc.) presents a hale and determined heroine who confronts unrelenting misery and begins to transcend it.

School Library Journal . After facing loss after loss during the Oklahoma Dust Bowl, Billie Jo begins to reconstruct her life. A triumphant story, eloquently told through prose-poetry.

Connections
Newberry Award 1998
The Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction 1998
Activities and lesson plans:
http://www.webenglishteacher.com/khesse.html
Power Media Plus.Com offer a great video called "Voices of the Dust" with Steven Andersen.
http://powermediaplus.com/player.asp?mediaID=1941 Although this is a subscription service, many school districts in Texas have this available for teachers.