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Article: DUST STORM.(examining Karen Hesse poem)
- Article from:
- Writing!
- Article date:
- October 1, 2001
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Weekly Reader Corp. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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A poem from Karen Hesse's brilliant novel-in-poetry, Out of the Dust, shows a desperate time in American history through the eyes of a brave teen.
In the 1930s, drought gripped the southern Plains of the United States. Violent winds eroded the farmland, whipping the topsoil into clouds of dust, and ruining the land. The huge area of more than 100 million affected acres came to be known as the Dust Bowl.
In Out of the Dust, Karen Hesse uses more than 100 poems to tell the story of Billie Jo, a young girl who survives the Dust Bowl and a family tragedy. Out of the Dust shows poetry's power to describe specific things, yet reveal universal truths.
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