During the 1930's and lasting almost an entire decade, the Great Plains experienced a serious drought. The country was in enough trouble as it was, and this made things much worse. Because of the dryness of the land, dust accumulated and was blown around on a regular basis destroying farmland, crops, homes and lives. (Vogeler, p.1)

Because of this drought, the Depression, in turn, lasted much longer than it may have. The shortage of crops devastated the country. Farmers kept on trying to plant crops, but because of the drought and accompanying dust they failed to grow. Much needed food was then unavailable for the people living on the plains and the other people in the country that it had provided for before. The dust became so thick on top of the land, that the soil became ruined and made it almost impossible for crops to grow successfully. (Vogeler, p.1)

The dust became a part of everyone's daily lives. It was in the air, and the wind blew it around during

Billie Jo experienced a lot of these horrors. She was alone in the world since her mother and baby brother died. Her father was preoccupied, worrisome and depressed. Billie Jo felt that if she would just get out of the dust that everything would be all better. When she finally decided to escape, it was only for a short time. She came across a man that made her change her mind, turn around and face the dust.

I don't think Billie Jo's father ever blamed her for anything. He was a worrisome man who felt preoccupied with money and survival. He simply had poor communication skills. After his wife died, he seemed to lose his smile. He had to do something in order to get his life back. He needed to find peace; he needed to forgive the land.

Billie Jo shares some very personal thoughts and experiences with us. They come to us as poetry. The author chose an unusual way to share them. The words and feelings expressed in this novel are beautiful and stylish. I'm not sure the book would have had such a dramatic effect had it been written as a traditional novel. The language and format make this book special and unique.

Through the poetry we hear stories, personal thoughts, and descriptions. We learn about the outside world and its effect on society. We also learn about forgiveness.

The man in the boxcar was sad. He felt hopeless. He gave up on his wife and children because he was scared. He told Billie Jo that he had tried to farm, but nothing would grow. He knew he could not provide for his wife and three boys, so he ran away from his problems, just as Billie Jo had. They had a lot in c

Some common words found in the essay are:
Billie Jo, Dust Depression, Billie Jo's, Jo Maybe, billie jo, Dust Bowl, hesse 1997, vogeler p1, Page Hesse, walk /side /in, dust /i forgiving, plains people, /side /in, determined land, dust /i, /i forgiving, billie jo's, walk /side,
Approximate Word count = 1088
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)