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Out of the Dust
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Out of the Dust
Unavailable
Out of the Dust
Audiobook2 hours

Out of the Dust

Written by Karen Hesse

Narrated by Marika Mashburn

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

Billie Jo has a great deal to forgive: her father for causing the accident that killed her mother; her mother for leaving when Billie Jo needed her most; and herself for being the cause of her own sorrow. Daddy's too wrung out to help her, and there's no one else to care. So at fourteen, Billie Jo must heal herself - even if it means tearing up her roots and leaving behind everything she's ever known.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateApr 24, 2007
ISBN9780739371848
Unavailable
Out of the Dust
Author

Karen Hesse

Karen Hesse has received numerous honors for her writing, including the Scott O’Dell Historical Fiction Award, the MacArthur Fellowship “Genius” Award, the Christopher Award, and the Newbery Medal. Ms. Hesse is also the author of WISH UPON A UNICORN, LETTERS FROM RIFKA and PHOENIX RISING, both available with new cover art. She lives in Brattleboro, Vermont.

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Reviews for Out of the Dust

Rating: 3.9682332463011316 out of 5 stars
4/5

1,149 ratings151 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It's the Great Depression in the panhandle of Oklahoma and young Billie Jo and her family are dealing with drought, little money, and lots of dust. With setback after setback and tragic events that would break even the strongest of wills, Billie Jo searches her way in an uncertain new world.I think this book is a fine resource for teaching the events of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. The accounts are vivid and the heartache is tender. We catch a glimpse of the misery and loss that many families faced.This is also a good book for showing how one person makes some tough decisions. Should Billie Jo stay or go west? Should she confront her father and tell him to start being a dad again? Should she embrace her new life or search for something better? By reflecting on these questions students might develop their own decision-making skills.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A child's view of life in the dust bowl.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I really liked this book for two reasons. One of the reasons why I liked this book was how the author developed the characters. She made them so believable and you are really able to connect with them throughout the story. At one part Billie Joe said "If Ma could put her arm across my shoulder sometimes, or stroke back my hair, or sing me to sleep, making the soft sounds, the reassuring noises, that no matter how brittle and sharp life seemed, no matter how brittle and sharp she seemed, she was still my ma who loved me," This part in the book really jumped out to be because every little girl can connect on this level with how they think about their mother. All of the little details that were added into this paragraph made it so much more realistic and it allowed for the reader to connect to the story as well. Another reason why I liked this book was the way that it was written. It was written in poems which made for a really easy read. The pages flowed really well and I never felt like I had to force myself to just read a couple more pages because I would always accidentally read forty five without noticing. One part where the poetry stuck out to me the most was on the entry where her mom died. I felt that the choppiness of the last two lines added a really neat effect to the story. In it the author said, "I couldn't tell her, couldn't bring myself to say her apples were gone. I never had a chance." The author skipped two lines down and then wrote, "Ma died that day giving birth to my brother." I thought that this added a dramatic effect to the story that you wouldn't have gotten if it had all been connected. The main idea that I got from this book is that no matter how hard life seems at home, it is home and you will never find any place better.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Good for a classroom read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Reading Karen Hesse's Out of the Dust as a companion to Children of the Dustbowl was a worthwhile, though heart-wrenching experience. Hesse wielded the power of her chosen form, the prose poem, to her full advantage. In her poetic rendering, Karen Hesse fleshed out, in-first person, the facts recounted in Jerry Stanley's non-fiction work. Rather than telling the story of a group of people, the Okies, Hesse focused on a single child within a single family living in the Panhandle during the 1930s. Billie Jo Kelby is the only daughter of two parents, farmers, trying to survive failed crop after failed crop, disease, and poverty brought on by the unrelenting dust.The dust shapes her family, wears them down, is a menacing presence in their beds, their food, their lungs. Hesse shows how the dust permeates not only by detailing its effects but by threading the word through nearly every poem. At the word level, only a few poems are "dust free". And while references to the dust are at first literal, Hesse uses euphemizes dust, makes it symbolic of the death that took her Billie Jo's mother and that threatens to take Billie Jo and her father.The book is no tidy light read. Prepare to have your heart sink as you follow Billie Joe through tragedy after tragedy. The images Hesse drew are harrowing and WILL cause a reaction. On a more teacherly note, I definitely recommend reading Out of the Dust after Children of the Dust Bowl, or at least in tandem with it. Perhaps poems could be paired with facts and ideas that Stanley references in his work. "Driving the Cows" could be paired with sections of Children of the Dust Bowl telling how children cleaned the dust from the nostrils of cattle. "On Stage" calls to mind the Okie dances that Stanley recounted. Many, many text-to-text connections could be made.I like the fact that this book, even though it's called, Out of the Dust, spends most of its time situated in the Panhandle. This book provides a personal, emotional in-depth look at the conditions that led many families to leave. It's "the first part of the story" which Children of the Dust Bowl "completes." It details what life might have looked like for people who chose NOT to leave, rather than those who did. As importantly, it shows how one girl came to peace with the dust, recognizing that, "What I am, I am because of the dust. And what I am is good enough" Wow. What a powerful statement. It makes me wonder what my students would say if I had them free write with the following prompt: "What I am, I am because of..." In Billie Jo, her mother, and her father, I see so much of the Okie spirit that Stanley described. These were hardy folk. Whether they stayed and battled the dust or left and battled the bigotry, they remained...what's the word? Stoic? Strong? Undaunted? I'm not sure, because this book of poems gave me an imagined window inside the broken heart of a girl who lost her mother, her baby brother and (for a time) her ability to comfort herself the only way she knew how - with music. Her ability to continue on despite these difficulties, to face her loss, and ultimately to move forward in the midst of heartache, inspires me. The poetry itself inspire me too, and I wouldn't be doing this book justice if I didn't comment on the richness of the poems themselves. This book is art. (Not that Stanley's, in the broadest sense of the word, isn't). But this book is meant to make readers feel deeply, and feel I did. Hesse uses metaphor, allusion, many of the tools of her craft to place me, the reader, shoulder to shoulder with Billie Jo. But her use of repetition (anaphora, in particular) tugs my heartstrings closer and closer to this young girl. I'm warmed by this passage in "Met." Billie Jo has just returned from running away from the Panhandle. As she and her widowed father walk home from the train station,"I tell him he is like the sod,and I am like the wheat,and I can't grow everywhere,but I can grow here,with a little care,with a little rain,with a little luck,. . . 'and I can't be my own mother,' I tell him'and I can't be my own mother' That triad of anaphoric "with a little" feels like the embodiment of a seed growing. I'm happy I read this book even though it was, in ways, a hard read. It's as if Hesse looked at the photo of the woman with six children and somehow was able to delve into her mind and give words to the story that resided behind her eyes. Well done, Hesse.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I didn't get this book. It was boring and slow-paced. Maybe the audio version isn't as good.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Another YA book that's worthwhile for adults. The series of free verse poems tells the story of a 14-year-old girl's coming of age in the Oklahoma Panhandle in the midst of the 1934/5 Dustbowl. Spare and powerful, with an authentic voice, sad but strong, that reminded me somewhat of the Spoon River poems, or some of Frost's.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book is set in Oklahoma during the Great Depression, and the main character Billie Joe deals with some severe hardships. The family is dealing with losing their house and farm, they are dealing with hunger and the dust storms dominate the setting of the book. Her mother and brother are suddenly killed and Billie Jo's hands are seriously burned. She is left with her father who is dealing with his own guilt and depression. Ultimately Billie Jo comes to realize that she loves her father and has the strength to over come her disability.I enjoyed the free verse, it flowed pretty well and told a good story. I do have to say that this was a very tough and tragic story. A few of the reviews I read said that the story is too depressing for teens, and the redemptive part of the story does not outweigh the hardship. Personally I feel like teens are pretty good at dealing with tragedy and that the story would benefit. If nothing else it will help most teens remember that their problems are not as bad as some of the others.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a story of a young girl during the Great Depression in Oklahoma. It is a great book for any reader from 4th grade through 8th. I would use this book to teach poetry and American history.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book had an uphill battle to win me over. Upon opening the book, I was unpleasantly surprised to find the book was written in free verse (I generally find this type of poetry pretentious and overrated.) But the further I read, I realized how nicely it suited the story. And I loved this book.

    And don't read the inside of the book jacket. It will spoil something. I was thankful I didn't think to read the summary until after I finished.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    ;(This book is sad and devastating); But you should read it cause it's a good book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was a compelling story about a young girl named Billie Jo who is a gifted pianist but suffers a terrible injury that makes is nearly impossible for her to play. The story highlights Billie Jo's relationship with her father and the grief they both go through after the loss of Billie Jo's mother. The story's setting is Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl and the constant wind is an ever present threat to the survival of Billie Jo's family. I appreciated the rich world the author described and how the conditions of the Great Depression affected every aspect of Billie Jo's life. I also liked how the story was composed entirely of free-verse poems.This book could be taught in a social studies unit on the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. It gives students a rich context for their studies and allows them to relate to a character who is experiencing the poverty and hopelessness of the Dust Bowl first hand. Out of The Dust's Reading Level is 5th grade.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This is a pretty good book that I have read in my fifth grade reading groups.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    SUCH a fantastic book! It is no wonder why it won so many awards. Out of the Dust was written by Karen Hesse and should find its way into every upper elementary/junior high schooler's hands. It is a chilling account of a young girl growing up amidst the dust bowl. It is written in prose and is extremely beautiful. I would most definitely pair this book with a unit of the Great Depression and have students write prose of their own. This book is both a coming of age story and a detailed narrative of the challenges that families in High Plains (the inability to grow crops and dust flying by so quickly is scratches and pelts the skin and eyes). It is a classic that should be a part of any American history curriculum.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Brilliantly written, Out of the Dust, is the story of an adolescent girl, Billie Jo Kelby, to whom an unspeakable tragedy occurs. Written in the first person and through poetry, Billie Jo tells us of her love of the piano, her disgust of the Oklahoma dust, her relationship with her mother, her sorrow and her eventual realization of her love of the land and of her father.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is a story told by 14 year old Billie Jo during the dust bowl. The book is written in free verse poem and gives it a very personal voice of a sad story. It talks about her mother who died in a fire and her father and how her father cannot accept the idea that he cannot provide for his family. She loves to play the piano but the fire that killed her mother burned her hands so badly she can no longer play the piano. It is about Billie Jo's struggle to get out of the dust bowl even if it means leaving behind everything she loves and heads out west. While the book is very grim it still provides the reader with hope. This book is great for lessons on poetry and history about the dust bowl. It would be great for a read aloud to a allow great discussion on the ideas discussed through out the book.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I found this book in a bag while I was unpacking my stuff one day and I decided to read it just for the heck of it. Wow, I am so glad I did. It is very touching. I would say it is one of my favorite chidhood books.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    "Out of the Dust" by Karen Hesse is a book about a girl who wants to be a piano player, during the time of the dust bowl and the Great Depression in the 1930's. This book is written in poetry format about Billie Jo, and her farmer family trying to survive after the death of her mother. I would use this book to introduce poetry and for struggling readers and writers. It is a easy read for Young Adolescent.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    "Out of the Dust" is a book written by Karen Hesse. It is a story about a young, inspiring piano player, Billie Jo, and her families' hardships during the dust storms. Life is hard for her and her family, but everything gets worse after the death of her mother. This tale is great for students ages 10 and above. I recommend it to any age group. It is an easy read, as well as a great story.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse is a story of a young girl who comes of age during the dust bowl and Great Depression of the 1930s. Billie Jo, the main character, experiences loss of friends that move out of the dust, her mother and infant brother who die after burn and pregnancy complications, and the love of her father. Out of the Dust is a story of Billie Jo's survival against the odds in her tragically-charged life. I highly recommend this book for any age. The story is written in narrative poetry, telling a story or portraying a feeling or image in every poem. I really like the set of of the story, and Out of the Dust is such an easy read, that students of many reading levels could understand it easily. It might be a good pairing with another perspective of the Depression through a short story. I think this story is written so well that the simplicity is masks the depth of emotion and seriousness that is Billie Jo's story. I think many students can relate to this, in spite of the time lapse. Great book.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Out of the Dust is a historical fiction novel set during the Dust Bowl. The novel is written in poetry format by Billie Jo, a little girl. Billie Jo faces many hardships throughout her story but perhaps her biggest is the lose of her mother. This novel would be great to use with beginning writers. Also, if a teacher was going to have student's write jounrals. I would recommend this book to beginning readers and struggling writers; however, I, personally, was not a big fan of this book, and I would not make my class have to read this unless it was required.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    sad, realistic and wonderful to read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Great novel in verse about a family during the depression, and the awful things that happen to them, but how you have to have hope.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This was such a good story and would be an interesting way to teach students about that period in history.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A free-verse book of poems. Billie-Jo's poems span over years of difficult trials and tribulations. She desperatly wants out of the dust bowl and is willing to jump a train to get out. This is a good book and an award winner. Billie-Jo goes through a fire that kills her mother and mutalates her hands, poverty and miscommunication with her father. In the end she realizes that you cannot run away from your problems that you have to face them. her father meets a lady and marries her, and Billie- Jo's hands heal and she is able to play the piano again.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book was interesting to me because it tells a story through a series of poems, which is something I had not seen before. I think kids would really relate to this because its told from a kid's point of view and that would enable them to put themselves in her place. it tells not only about the dust bowl, but about friendships and family relations and how both are affected by hardships.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book had a wonderful personal element. This is a time period I was not familiar with, so this novel was sort of an introduction for me. History courses should incorporate this book because, like we discussed in class, a lot of us were not exposed to the Dust Bowl, and using this book would be a non-textbook way of covering the material.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I really loved this book and I loved all of the history and emotions behind it. This book sparked a lot of interest from me and had me thinking and researching and putting myself in Billie Jo's position constantly. This book would be great to supplement a textbook in a history class about the dust bowl. The students will really get a sense of the time from reading this book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    After a fire in the families home, Billie Joe and her mother are badly burned. Distance grows between Billie and her father after the death of her mother and infant brother during child birth. Billie yearns to play the piano again and seeks guidance from her fathers girlfriend, Louise. Set in the Depression Era, this book gives a glimpse into the lives of a family who faced hardships that weren't directly associated to the dust bowl.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Summary: This book is a young girls journal of poetry that she writes to tell what's going on in her life. She was born during the depression and lived in Oklahoma during a time when it would not rain and farmers couldn't grow any crops. In this book the young girl loses her mother and her new born brother while the her mother was delivering because of her severe burns that were caused by mistaking kerosine as water. She has to face a choice of what she wants to do with her life after that point. Personal Reaction: I Love this book!! I also read this book as a child and I forgot how sad it was. Now that I'm older though I have a better understanding of the time frame and where they were and what was actually going on. So it was different to actually feel I could put myself in the young girls mind set. It's a great book for anyone to read!Classroom Extension Ideas: 1) This book could definitely be tied into a history lesson. The student could study about the Dust Bowl in Oklahoma at this time and how it affect so many people. They could also study about the depression during this time. People were just coming out of the depression and moving around to a lot of different places to try and actually make some money for their families. 2) The students could also reenact this book. They could learn about the style in the 1930's when this book generally takes place. The teacher could provide different types of clothes that would represent this time period. The teacher would set up a market and have the items be for sale for what they were worth in that time, and show how things change over time and that sometimes history actually repeats itself.