Search - Out Of The Dust

Written as a free style poem, this book is heart wrenching and compelling. Vivid imagery effectively forces the reader to go through the same sorrows and joys that Billy Joe experiences. I could not put it down until I was finished.

Excellent book about the dust bowl. Hesse is a great writer and this story is very captivating.

Although this is classified as a children's book, both my mother and I enjoyed it very much. Not just for kids!

Had to read this book for a children's literature class last year, and found it to be ok. I wouldn't have normally read it on my own without the course.

The book is basically about hard times for a little girl living in the Midwest. She very accidentally burns her pregnant mother, and things become very tragic. She and her father have very hard times connecting and maintaining an affectionate relationship (the kind that little girls long for with their dads), because he's very sad, overworked and just emotionally unavailable. But fast forward many pages (because i don't want to give anything away) and someone comes into both of their lives and all turns out to be well again.

I've given it a "mid-level" rating because it again, is something the I HAD to read, not anything I truly in my heart wanted to read. But if reading about hard times, dust storms, and life in the west is your thing, you'll really enjoy it (no disrespect intended). :)

A testament to poetry, this book tells a complete and poignant story with a minimum of words.

Great book for kids to get an idea of the Dust Bowl! Well done!