Review of Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
(Historical Nonfiction
Category)
1. Hesse, K. (1999). Out of the Dust.
New York, NY: Scholastic.
2. Plot Summary: Billie Jo is living in Oklahoma
during the time of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. Her father is a
farmer, and the dust is overtaking his crops. Billie Jo’s mother is pregnant,
and as her family prepares and waits for the arrival of the new baby, they must
take measures to protect their farm and source of income. A terrible accident
occurs, and her father does not want to talk about it. Billie Jo’s one sense of
comfort and joy, playing the piano, becomes extremely difficult because of the
accident. While the dust storms brew over Oklahoma and her father deals with
issues in his own way, Billie Jo must try to find peace as well.
3. Critical Analysis: Karen Hesse writes this historical
fiction version of one family’s struggle during the Dust Bowl using free verse.
Her poetry is simple, holding the
younger reader’s attention, yet it is also very poignant, holding the older
reader’s attention. Her writing is rich in vivid imagery, personification, and
subtle symbolism, creating depth in the story in contrast to the small amount
of words in each “section” or poem. She does a phenomenal job of creating deep
emotion within short groupings of words. The characters and plot are fully
developed through the free verse, and the telling of the story through
first-person narration by Billie Jo, makes the story very meaningful and much
more personal to the reader. A School
Library Journal starred review states, “Hesse uses free-verse poems to
advance the plot, allowing the narrator to speak for herself much more
eloquently than would be possible in standard prose. The author’s astute and
careful descriptions of life during the dust storms of the 1930s are grounded
in harsh reality, yet are decidedly poetic.” Through her “careful
descriptions,” and the first-person narration, Hesse makes the story really
come alive, and it feels as though the family’s struggles are nonfiction even
though they are fiction.
Hesse is very thoughtful
in describing life during the extremely harsh times of the Great Depression and
the Dust Bowl. The reader will be able to tell quickly that the author
researched thoroughly in order to write a historically accurate novel about
life in the 1930s in Oklahoma. The attention to detail and the descriptions of
how the dust crept into every aspect of every day life are truly captivating.
Several scenes during the story described how Billie Jo’s family had to turn
the cups and plates upside down on the dinner table to attempt to keep the dust
off of them before eating a meal; however, the dust usually crept onto the
food, and the family would end up chewing gritty, tasteless food. Those are the
descriptions that stuck with me as a reader and left me thinking, “What if that
was to happen today?” Since the descriptions are historically accurate as well,
anyone reading this novel will really be able to empathize with the people
living during this time period. This novel is an excellent resource for
teachers and librarians to use when teaching about the Dust Bowl. Booklist writes, “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.” Living in
the 1930s dust bowl was anything but glamorous and easy, and Hesse gives
readers the perspective of history. Even though the story of Billie Jo’s family
is fictional, the events very well could have happened during these hard times,
and the facts and descriptions of the Dust Bowl’s storms’ devastation are very
real.
The verse novel
is suited for ages eleven and up. Young readers learn about this time period in
school and will be familiar with some of the references and descriptions in the
novel. Older readers will not only understand the historical references, but
they will also identify with the relationship between a young teenager and her
parents. They will understand a girl who struggles to find her place in the
world even if they have not been through a tragic accident. A Kirkus Review writes, “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.” All readers will be able to relate to the novel’s major theme – that
through despair, hope eventually overturns a dire situation. This theme is not
only a constant in literature but also throughout history and in the daily lives
of people.
References
Amazon.com, Ink. (2014). Out
of the dust book jacket. Retrieved July 21, 2014, from
http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FOut-The-Dust-Karen-Hesse%2Fdp%2F0590371258%2Fref%3Dsr_1_cc_1%3Fs%3Daps%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1405959695%26sr%3D1-1-catcorr%26keywords%3Dout%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bdust%2Bkaren%2Bhesse
Hesse, K. (1999). Out of the dust. New York: Scholastic
Press.
Reed Business Information.
(1997). Review of out of the dust by Karen Hesse [Review of novel Out of the dust]. School Library Journal. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
Review of out of the dust by
Karen Hesse [Review of novel Out of the
dust]. (1997). Retrieved July 21, 2014, from
http://booklistonline.com/Out-of-the-Dust-Karen-Hesse/pid=1022730
Review of out of the dust by
Karen Hesse [Review of novel Out of the
dust]. (n.d.). Kirkus Reviews.
Retrieved July 21, 2014, from
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/karen-hesse/out-of-the-dust/
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