The document provides background information on the novel Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse, including the historical context of the Great Depression and Dust Bowl in the 1930s. It summarizes the setting of the novel as Oklahoma in 1934-1935 during the Depression and Dust Bowl era. It also lists the main characters and briefly describes the economic impact of the Depression on farming, Roosevelt's New Deal, and the agricultural and ecological damage of the Dust Bowl drought and dust storms that caused many to migrate west.

1. Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse Background notes about the novel, The Great Depression, and The Dust Bowl.