POETRY - OUT OF THE DUST

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hesse, Karen. 1997. OUT OF THE DUST. New York: Scholastic. ISBN 0590360809

2. PLOT SUMMARY
This story is told from the perspective of a thirteen year old girl growing up in the Oklahoma dust bowl in the midst of the Great Depression. She tells of her family’s struggles to grow wheat on their farm, and the daily struggle to find food to survive. Billie Jo’s mother and unborn brother tragically die in a horrible kitchen accident. The only comfort and solace she receives comes from her playing the piano. Billie Jo’s character tells of her will to survive, and the journey of forgiveness with little or no help from her father.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
OUT OF THE DUST can be seen as both a narrative, but also a free verse written poem. The reading level is 4.5 because of the simplistic nature of the text. The free verse allows the reader to get to the “heart” of the matter quickly and easily. Each free verse represents importance to Billie Jo and depicts another depressing story or event of her life. All of her longings, hopes, and unhappiness of her life can be felt throughout each heart wrenching poem. Although the story is free of illustrations, Hesse creates vivid images of life in the Dust Bowl as Billie Jo’s daddy was “spitting dust” and her mama was turned into a “column of fire.”

OUT OF THE DUST brings the 1930’s alive for the readers who will never encounter the same hardships that are described in the story.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
BOOKLIST starred review: “The story is bleak, but Hesse’s writing transcends the gloom and transforms it into a powerfully compelling tale of a girl with enormous strength, courage, and love.”
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL review: “A triumphant story, eloquently told through prose- poetry.
Publisher’s WEEKLY starred review: This intimate novel, written in stanza form, poetically conveys the heat, dust, and wind of Oklahoma. With each meticulously arranged entry Hesse paints a vivid picture of her heroine’s emotions.”

5. CONNECTIONS
· Can be used to supplement history lessons about Oklahoma and the dust bowl/Great Depression Era.
· Also can be used in standalone prose poetry lessons.
· Other fiction books about the Great Depression include:
Craven, Tracy Leininger. KATHLEEN’S UNFORGETTABLE WINTER. ISBN 9781928749264
Dearan, Patrick. WHEN THE SKY RAINED DUST. ISBN 9781571688309