Karen Hess: Out of the Dust

I am finally off hiatus... Sorry that was such a long gap! Like I said, 2021 was really tough as far as teaching, and 2022 started off with a student teacher. Because of that, I've been able to read a pretty substantial amount and will be posting hopefully for the next two months consistently.

The first book I was able to finish was Out of the Dust by Karen Hess. This novel is written entirely in verse and follows 14 year old Billie Jo through the trials of living in rural Oklahoma during the dust bowl. Their young family is thrilled because Mama is expecting a baby boy, but that thrill soon turns to despair after an oil accident fatally injures Mama, and eventually the baby as well. As the dust storms get worse, Billie Jo finds herself desperate to leave Oklahoma and start over somewhere else, but realizes that her father is her life, and she ultimately decides to stay.

This book was riveting and gut-wrenching. I'm not typically into books written in verse - I've tried several and given up over the years. However, this book was so vivid and raw that the verse didn't detract from the story, and enhanced it. The emotions in this novel are so real that I found myself crying at multiple parts of the book. I loved the way Hess was able to capture Billie Jo's voice and character so consistently, while allowing her to grow over the story, and all in verse. I was incredibly impressed with this novel and I can see why it's so widely taught.

Overall, I rated it ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

PG rating - There's a certain amount of maturity needed to truly appreciate this book.

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