Plot Summary: Billie Jo and her parents are suffering through the worst years of the Great Depression, watching their crops fail and their home fill with dust. After the death of her mother following a gruesome accident, Billie Jo is left maimed and unable to play her beloved piano. As her father is falling apart from grief and drinking, Billie Jo must decide is she is ready to fight for survival on her own.
Critical Evaluation: The Dust Bowl – even the name is dry, old-fashioned and confusing. Karen Hesse manages to breathe life into a potentially unpopular subject for teen readers. Through the voice of Billie Jo, the dust bowl comes alive and relevant to today’s readers. Using a free-form poetic narrative style, Hesse allows the reader to flow along and experience the hardships that make up this novel in an emotional way rather than looking at them as a history lesson. While the reader is subject to the harsh realities of Billie Jo’s life, it is clear that we are still reading the voice of a child:
The flaming oil
splashed
onto her apron,
and Ma
suddenly Ma,
was a column of fire.
I pushed her to the ground
desperate to save her,
desperate to save the baby, I
tried
beating out the flames with my hands.
I did the best I could.
But it was no good.
Ma
got
burned
bad.
Out of the Dust, p. 61
The voice of an adult would come across as bitter, defeated or even ignorant. Billie Jo’s child’s-eye view of the tragedy of her life allows the reader to understand the enormity of the environmental disaster that was the dust bowl and the smaller but no less devastating losses that Billie Jo suffers at home.
Reader’s Annotation: Billie Jo must realize her own grit and determination when the world around her turns to dust, and her family falls apart in a series of rapid and tragic occurrences. With a voice clear and eloquent, Billie Jo recounts one of the hardest times in American history.
Author Information: “While growing up in Baltimore, Maryland, I dreamed of becoming many things: an archaeologist, an ambassador, an actor, an author. In 1969, I attended Towson State College as a theater major, but transferred after two semesters to the University of Maryland, where I eventually earned a B.A. in English with double minors in Psychology and Anthropology.”
“Karen Hesse lives in Vermont with her husband and two teenaged daughters. Her book Out of the Dust was awarded the Newbery Medal for 1998.”
Genre: Historical Fiction
Curriculum Ties: History (Dust Bowl), English (Poetry)
Booktalk Ideas: Interesting historical fiction, Strong female characters,
Reading Level/Interest Level: Grade 5/ Grade 6-12
Challenge Issues and Plans: This book portrays alcoholism, violence, and extreme physically injury and suffering.
If this book was challenged:
- I would ensure that I am familiar with the material, including any part that might cause concern to parents/patrons.
- I would actively listen to the concerns of the parent/patron in an effort to fully understand their point of view. I would ask clarifying questions and avoid any judgmental language.
- I would offer my reasons for including the material in a non-confrontational but matter-of-fact manner.
- I would offer a list of reviews and awards that informed my decision to add the material to the collection.
- I would draw the parent/patron’s attention to ALA’s Library Bill of Right.
- I would have handy for perusal my library’s collection policy.
- If the parent/patron wished to continue with the challenge, I would offer an official challenge form that would be submitted to the library’s (or school’s) board of directors.
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