Thursday, March 20, 2008

Out of the Dust


Hesse, Karen. 1997. Out of the Dust.

Out of the Dust is a Newbery winner. And honestly I can't believe I missed this one. I'm just now getting to it. (Though I don't think I would have been as ready for it then as I am now.) Set in the 1930s, the novel focuses on a family living in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl during the Depression. To say things are a bit bleak would be an understatement. Our heroine, Billie Jo, has many hopes and dreams, but the lack of rain, the lack of crops, the lack of money do have a way of weighing the family down--Billie Jo included. Her mother is pregnant. And her father is always busy working on the farm. Billie Jo's biggest dreams revolve around the piano. She loves to play the piano. She loves to make music. It's a part of who she is; it's a part of her soul. But when tragedy strikes, Billie Jo's dreams get buried in despair. Will things ever get better? Will she ever find the courage and strength and will to play again?

Life. Love. Hope. Disappointment. Anger. Grief. Despair. Loneliness. Guilt. Families. Forgiveness. Grace. Peace. It's all here. The story is definitely one that resonates. But I would be lying if I said it was an easy read. The tragedy is a tragedy. And it changes everything in her life forever.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I think that this would be great for my daughter and I to read together. I read the non-fiction The Worst Hard Time about the Dust bowl recently and it really resonated. Then I found out my grandmother was living in it, and hearing her stories was so interesting!

ibeeeg said...

I believe that I am going to a personal challenge and that is to read the Newbery Award books.

With that said, i think Out of the Dust could be a good read aloud with my girls.
Thanks for your review.

Beth @ TheAngelForever said...

Great review. Now I remember a little more about the book. It has been so long since I read it that I had honestly forgotten a lot when I typed up my reviews of Newbery books that I have read.