“Out of the Dust,” by Karen Hesse, is Book Talk’s choice for its February 13 meeting at Donald W. Reynolds Library, 1515 W. Main in Durant. Leading the 7 p.m. discussion is Dr. Jane Hicks, retiree from the business school of Southeastern Oklahoma State University. This book had been scheduled for discussion at a January 9 meeting, but that meeting was canceled due to inclement weather.
The Hesse young-adult novel has won many awards, including the prestigious Newbery Medal. It was chosen as Best Book of the Year by both Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal.
Written in free verse, the book follows 14-year-old Billie Jo as she navigates life in the Oklahoma Panhandle during the difficult Depression years, when dust storms devastate her family’s farm. To make matters worse, her mother is killed in a kitchen accident that also burns Billie Jo’s hands so that she can no longer play her beloved piano.
Hicks is a native of Durant. She has worked as a CPA in Utah, a corporate director based in Colorado, an entrepreneur in California and Florida, and, most recently, taught at SOSU, her first alma mater.
She is a member of the board of the Reynolds Library. Columns she writes often appear in the Durant Democrat Weekly, The Oklahoma Observer, and the online newsletter Shield & Search.
Book Talk meets the second Thursday of most months, excepting December and summer months. The public is welcome at all Book Talk discussions.
The group’s next meeting is March 13, when local mystery writer Marion Hill will lead a discussion of The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin.
Book Talk books are available for purchase at the Reynolds Library’s service desk.
