...what I am, I am because of the dust. And what I am is good enough. Even for me.
Dates read: April 21 - April 22
Genre(s): Historical fiction, children's literature, young adult, verse
Rating: 4 stars (really liked it)
I don’t understand why so many people have given this one or two stars just because it’s “depressing” and “sad.” It’s historical fiction. History is gruesome and we can’t avoid it just because it makes us sad. If we did that, we’d be erasing important parts of history - real things that happened to real people.
This novel deals with the effects of the Great Depression and the dust bowl on a struggling family and their town in Oklahoma. It's a beautifully told realistic story about a young girl named Billie Jo trying to find any bit of joy in the sorrow surrounding and almost consuming her. It's also beautiful in the way it was written--free verse. The novel is composed of many free verse poems meant to be Billie Jo's journal entries. We get to learn what she is experiencing in real time, and through some great poetry.
When I read this (yes, by my own choice) as a grade-school-aged child, I remember being impacted by the vivid descriptions of the dust storms and the characterization. When I was searching for this book to add to my 2019 Christmas list, all I could remember was the grittiness of the dirt and dust turning to mud in Billie Jo's eyes and mouth--the fact that I remembered the imagery over a decade later is proof of the great writing. I'm so glad I revisited it! This story has much more to it than it simply being “depressing.”
It’s visceral and raw, just like real life. Many children are forced to go through things they should never have to in their lifetimes. We shouldn't ignore dark times and act like they never happened. Like in most real-life tragedies, there is something good, something to hope for, something to hold on to. Those who didn’t like it because it made them sad or they thought it was too depressing missed or ignored the point entirely.
This novel deals with the effects of the Great Depression and the dust bowl on a struggling family and their town in Oklahoma. It's a beautifully told realistic story about a young girl named Billie Jo trying to find any bit of joy in the sorrow surrounding and almost consuming her. It's also beautiful in the way it was written--free verse. The novel is composed of many free verse poems meant to be Billie Jo's journal entries. We get to learn what she is experiencing in real time, and through some great poetry.
When I read this (yes, by my own choice) as a grade-school-aged child, I remember being impacted by the vivid descriptions of the dust storms and the characterization. When I was searching for this book to add to my 2019 Christmas list, all I could remember was the grittiness of the dirt and dust turning to mud in Billie Jo's eyes and mouth--the fact that I remembered the imagery over a decade later is proof of the great writing. I'm so glad I revisited it! This story has much more to it than it simply being “depressing.”
It’s visceral and raw, just like real life. Many children are forced to go through things they should never have to in their lifetimes. We shouldn't ignore dark times and act like they never happened. Like in most real-life tragedies, there is something good, something to hope for, something to hold on to. Those who didn’t like it because it made them sad or they thought it was too depressing missed or ignored the point entirely.