Review of OUT OF THE DUST by Karen Hesse

Bibliography
Hess, Karen. 1977. Out of the Dust. New York, NY: Scholastic Press. ISBN 9780590360807


Plot Summary
Out of the Dust is a novel about a young girl and aspiring pianist named Billie Jo. Written in free-verse poems, Billie Jo narrates the tumultuous story of her life. Raised in the Oklahoma Panhandle during the Dust Bowl Era, we follow Billie Jo from the time she was “born at home, on the kitchen floor.” As a series of unfortunate events unfold, Billie Jo begins to wonder if life will ever afford her a break. Left with the scars of losing her mother, Billie Jo begins to lose what she holds most dear in life, playing the piano. Billie Jo’s adventures take her on a journey of self-discovery where she learns that true strength lies in perseverance.

Critical Analysis
Karen Hesse’s novel about fourteen-year-old Billie Jo transports the reader to the Oklahoma Panhandle during the Great Depression. Hesse’s poetry wraps us in the sandy gusts of the bleak Dust Bowl. Engulfed in stark images of perpetual desolation and dust-carrying winds, readers may find themselves taking a deep breath for unadulterated oxygen: “It wasn’t until the dust turned toward the house, like a fired locomotive, and I fled, barefoot and breathless, back inside, it wasn’t until the dust hissed against the windows, until it ratcheted the roof, that Daddy woke.”

Hesse writes the novel in free-form verse, and each poem is crafted in succession to tell the chronological story of Billie Jo. The voice of the novel is given to Billie Jo, and she begins her story with her mother giving birth to her on the kitchen floor: “Ma crouched, barefoot, bare bottomed over the swept boards.” Hesse quickly gives the impression that Billie Jo’s world consist of Billie Jo, her mother, her father, …and dust. Hesse writes with eloquent prose that is rich in imagery: “The wind snatched the snow right off the fields, leaving behind a sea of dust.” The use of free-form verse allows Billy Jo to tell her story with an artful beauty that only poetry can convey.

An accidental fire that leads to the crippling of Billy Jo’s hands and the death of her mother is a pivotal point in the story. A deep despair falls heavy upon the characters as Billie Jo notes that “It rained a little everywhere but here.” Hesse lets the reader know that the drought has withered up more than the landscape. The limits of the human spirit are taunted, and Billy Jo must choose to stand strong or blow away with the Oklahoma winds.

Review Excerpts
Newbery Medal Winner
Starred review in Publishers Weekly: "This intimate novel, written in stanza form, poetically conveys the heat, dust and wind of Oklahoma."
Children's Literature Review:  "The novel is harsh and ugly, strong stuff that made my eleven-year-old cry when read aloud."
Kirkus Review: "Hesse presents a hale and determined heroine who confronts unrelenting misery and begins to transcend it."

Connections
*Would make an excellent required reading for older students.
*Could be used to in association with a history lesson about the Great Depression or the Dust Bowl.
*Could be used as an introduction to novels and to poetry novels.
*Students could think of a trying time in their lives and write a poem or series of poems about it.