Out of the Dust

Book #32 Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse

"Dust
piles up like snow
across the prairie,
dunes leaning against fences,
mountains of dust pushing over barns."

This book is written in free verse/journal which makes for a very quick read. It follows 14-year-old Billie Jo Kelby and her family from the winter of 1934 to the winter of 1935 on a farm in Oklahoma. Life on the farm is difficult for the Kelbys due to the dust storms and drought. Many people pack up and head for California but Pa thinks things will get better. Ma becomes pregnant and the family is excited. There is some tragedy in the family's lives which pulls them apart.

I loved Hesse's poetic writing. She was able to paint such vivid pictures with so few words. This was another book that I couldn't put down and I had to finish it today. It's a great book for 4th grade on up. You could even use portions of the book to teach poetry.

"The way I see it, hard times aren't only
about money,
or drought,
or dust.
Hard times are about losing spirit,
and hope,
and what happens when dreams dry up." (p. 225)

"I'm getting to know the music again.
And it's getting to know me.
We sniff each other's armpits,
and inside each other's ears,
and behind each other's necks.
We are both confident, and a little sassy." (p. 222)