Dust is great for anyone who is interested inthe Dust Bowl era of the United States, but wants a more modern story. This book has a lot going on: parental mental illness, climate change, teen relationships, disability. It is a heavy story, but one that is important to read.

This was a difficult book to read. Am I glad I read it? Yes. Do I want to read it again? Probably not.

This book centers around Thea, a teenage girl who is hard of hearing. She was born partially deaf, but her parents don’t recognize her disability. She misses a lot of what people are saying around her as she needs to try extra hard to listen. Her parents remove her and her little sister from school after a bullying incident. After a flood in their hometown in Ohio, Thea’s father decides to move them to Colorado to be homesteaders. Thea’s parents are awful and the source of several uncomfortable scenes throughout the book. Her father is a delusional narcissist who isolates and neglects his children to the point of abuse. Her mother goes along with the father’s plan because she doesn’t have a spine. The neglect is so obvious that other adults in the area almost instantly attempt to help Thea.

The area of Colorado they move to is just dust. Thea’s family moved to this area to live off the land, but the land is dry and in a severe drought. To help support the family, Thea and her mother work in town. Here Thea meets other area residents and starts to learn about her new home. However, these meetings and new information have to be kept a secret (see previously mentioned imposed isolation and neglect). As Thea learns more about the area she comes to realize this isn’t the dream location her father believes it to be.

Parts I liked:
• Deaf/hard of hearing rep by a hard of hearing author and how this was shown throughout the book
• Commentary/information on climate change and its impacts
• How the history and impacts of the Dust Bowl were woven into the narrative
• Showcasing the need for community and how we don’t have to do everything on our own

Parts I didn’t like:
• The beginning of this book is very slow and repetitive, but it picks up and starts moving forward around the 30-40% point.
• Thea’s parents and how long it takes them to recognize her disability

I really enjoyed this modern-day Dust Bowl story! It’s terrifying to think that this could happen again. I love the way the dust was almost personified in the story.

A haunting and harrowing novel about a young woman trying to find her place after her family moves to desolate Colorado.

Thea and her family relocate from Ohio to Colorado after a flood ravages their hometown. Thea's father sees a future for his family without technology or the trappings of modern life. They'll own their own land and grow their own food, school the kids at home, and eschew electricity and running water. But arriving in Colorado, the family finds a half-built house and fields too dusty and parched to grow much of anything. And then the dust storms start.

Wow, this is an amazing story. Thea is deaf in one ear, but told by her parents to hide her inability to hear. She feels disconnected from her family and the world, and Stine writes the text to illustrate the "blanks" in conversation that Thea cannot catch. With her father's reluctance to embrace technology or outside education, the book clearly illustrates Thea's suffocation of being trapped on the hot, dusty farm, unable to hear and struggling with the feeling of being different and "in between." The writing just oozes claustrophobia.

We see how easily a person's world can be narrowed without education or access to the internet or books--Thea works so hard to secretly get to the town's library, for instance, where she meets some kind town members, and Ray, another deaf kid her age, which opens up an entire world for her. Otherwise, she's so isolated, seeing only her little sister, and not even knowing that being deaf is okay. Ray teaches Thea about ASL and she accompanies him and his uncle on journeys around the county to visit other town members, learning about other types of people.

Watching Thea's world broaden is amazing, especially as she tries to learn more about her environment. DUST leans heavily into environmentalism, illustrating the effects of climate change on Colorado, and how the 1930s-era Dust Bowl horrors could so easily happen again. The storms and the climate feel like another character, creating a tense atmosphere that truly comes to life.

This book just has that uncanny ability to make you feel--the tenseness of the storms; the powerlessness Thea feels against her father; the kindness of Thea's boss at the local cafe where she works; and the bit of hope and spark that comes between Thea and Ray. It's so beautifully written, and Thea is a wonderful character. My only issue is the story's ending, which I felt wrapped up too easily. A book this dark and poignant almost deserved a more severe conclusion, as much as I cared for all the characters.

Still, this is an amazing book and so worth the read.

This work is set in a fictionalized version of the U.S. where agricultural practices weren’t changed after the 1930s environmental issues that happened, leaving places like Colorado vulnerable to dust storms and severe drought. I appreciated the author’s note explaining the choice in setting and loved the use of it throughout the work. The atmosphere was strongly written, and it was easy to visualize and get lost in the setting.

The characters were also strong. Thea especially – her hearing didn’t define her character, but it certainly influenced her in a way that felt realistic. The secondary characters were just as strong, and I loved the inclusion of Ray and their relationship. I do feel like the book ended a little too perfectly, but maybe that was needed after the darker setting of the book.

Even if you don’t typically read YA, this book is still worth the read. Many thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Dust—Thea is brought out to Colorado by her father after he has a premonition of a flood just prior to a flood hitting their home in Ohio. He wants to return to the “old ways” of farming, which means making life infinitely harder for his family as well as restricting his daughters to the homestead and little else. Thea has the added pressure of pretending as though she is not hard of hearing, and struggling when no accommodations are made for her and indeed when punishments are levied BECAUSE she is having a difficult time.

This is a tough read, because I just feel so bad for poor Thea who already feels so alone and stifled and who is crushed all the more by her domineering father. Don’t get me wrong; the book is great, I just am put through the wringer with her! And as for characters, even if they make brief appearances, they’re still interesting and different enough to be engaging, like Elmer and Captain, or Louisa and Stevie.

This book also deals with the effects of climate change and the struggle with the land, and the possibility that maybe we can work ALONGSIDE it rather than AGAINST it. It was interesting that it was Thea who mulled over trying to accommodate the land rather than mulishly fight it, because she would have experience in that given her disability.

Also, the climax at the end with the raging dust storm was so tense and breathless that the pages just flew away; I couldn’t keep from reading more! I think this type of book works for any number of readers: those who are looking for climate change exploration, those who are looking for disability representation, and those who just generally like YA but not with a sci-fi futuristic slant.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It addresses climate anxiety so well, as well as the tensions between generations when it comes to acknowledging and dealing with it. Dust also features excellent conversations about disability, similar to On the Bright Side. However one of my personal favorite things about this book is how it addresses the romanticizing of the past and historical ways of doing things.

*Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

My problem was that I went into this book thinking it was going to be a queer horror story. I kept waiting for something horrific to pop out of the dust! (And not just the locusts, though that was terrifying)

But with that aside, it was a nice dip into the "unschooling" prepper culture and I enjoyed the deafness representation, especially as Thea comes from a hearing family. There was so much restriction, be it of the media she consumes, who she can talk to, or the ban on learning sign language. I did feel like it wrapped up too happily though? It didn't feel realistic...

I really liked this book but I wouldn’t rave about it. It seems like a simple story but there is a lot going on underneath. The story focuses on Thea a girl whose family is uprooted by the father from Ohio to the Bloodless Valley (not a real place) in Colorado, where they are essentially homesteaders/survivalists/preppers. The two kids, Thea and her younger sister Amelia, are supposed to be unschooled but mostly they work on the “farm” which is essentially a dust bowl.
The story is about Thea’s quest to be free of the life she is trapped in - to have friends and be able to read what she wants to and use the Internet. She is hard of hearing and has a hard time dealing with it until she meets Ray, a boy her own age who is also hard of hearing who teaches her ASL.
This book is more than its plot though. It includes topics such as isolation, climate change, disabilities and community - and it does it very well. The ending is satisfying in a good way, not miraculously happy but good.
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this eARC in return for a fair review.

With Dust, Alison Stine delivers readers a high-concept speculative fiction work that brings readers to a modern-day Dust Bowl and a connection to the Deaf community. This isn't my normal fare, but it certainly made me think.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

I liked it, but it's not clear enough that it's an alternate history. I think that could be really confusing, especially for teens.

Dust by Alison Stone, graciously sent to me by Wednesdaybooks. Dystopian YA in a dust bowl type setting. Hard of hearing MC and themes of community. Enjoyable and quick read!

Resolution for the main conflict happens off page and too easily. It didn't really follow with the "antagonists" personality to make such a character shift.

This book speaks of the hazards of a small subset style of homesteaders/homeschoolers. Unfortunately, it is unlikely to fall into the hands of teenagers living that lifestyle, but props for trying.

Dust is a beautiful novel that sits with you long after you finish reading it. It’s not a “big bang” type of book, but it’s engrossing nonetheless.

Author Alison Stine’s prose envelops you, transporting you to an imagined modern-day dustbowl. It calls to the past while looking to the future.

The story unfolds through Thea’s voice. Stine’s choice of first-person narrative gives readers an inside view into Thea’s limited world. You discover her dreams and fears and hopes for the future.

Dust is a beautiful read that resonates. I read a digital review copy but plan to purchase a physical one for my home library.

DUST by Alison Stine features Thea, a sixteen-year old who is deaf in one ear, but whose parents choose to ignore that reality. In fact, her father seems to increasingly separate from reality and has moved the family to a place called Bloodless Valley in Colorado where dust is everywhere and farming, especially without any modern aides, is almost impossible. Thea and her younger sister are "unschooled," kept at home and made to work on the farm, although Thea has a brief reprieve when she is able to work to support the family at a small café. Through the owner's kindness she meets the agricultural agent and his great nephew, Ray, plus the local librarian and some other homesteaders. Ray is also hard of hearing and begins to teach Thea to sign. Her father objects and her life narrows considerably. It is obvious that Stine, who is herself half deaf due to a congenital disability, has compassion for people with differences. She writes, "What I hope you take away from this book is: desire and energy to protect Earth and all its inhabitants, and also the knowledge that your story, whatever it is, matters. It's sometimes hard being both/neither, but there's a lot of joy too. And you're okay the way you are." Stine effectively uses empty spaces and underlining to convey the frustration of Thea's inability to hear clearly. Plus, the author does build suspense about an impending storm, but the pat way in which Thea's father is suddenly transformed into accepting help and technology like new cell phones does not seem probable. DUST was very sad and the pace was slow. Reflecting on other books with hard of hearing characters, I would highly recommend True Biz which received multiple starred reviews and was an Alex Award nominee as well as a New York Times bestseller. 3.5 stars

Rating: 4/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

This book is great for readers who like/want to read YA coming of age, disability rep, young love, and dysfunctional family. This book will dive into the story of Thea and how her family moved to Bloodless Valley Colorado in hope to make a fresh clean start all because her father kept having a premonition that is where they needed to be. Thea has left everything that made her feel normal, her friends, the house and community that she knew. All for her fathers dreams, but nothing feels right in the place that they’re now living and it's not just because her father refuses to let Thea or her sister go to school with the other homeschooled children, he won’t let them to go the library, just go to work and home, chores on the farm and back to the shutting everyone out of their lives, but that isn’t want Thea wants at all.

I found this book to be written so beautifully, the author’s writing style is so lyrical that it made for an easy read. I was able to finish this book in one sitting. The pacing of the book is slow, but it's an easy read and with it being lyrical you will find yourself half way through the book. Thea’s father is harsh, with a lot of rules that will not be broken or else, he is over controlling of his family and will not listen to any of them. I spent most of the time wishing that I could reach through the book and save Thea and her sister from their father and mother. However, the more that I read I saw the beauty of living in a small town and the grace of knowing that community, education, protecting the environment and learning to accept help (and not just shooting it down right away because you’re too proud.) I found the characters in this book to be the real stars in this book.

I love Thea, she is always questioning everything. She wants to know the answers to all the questions, but she also knows that she cannot ask her father or mother. I loved that she is really a strong character, who cares about others, doesn’t look down on people who are different, and wants to make sure that people learn from the past mistakes. I loved that the author gave us a glimpse into the inner workings of Thea and how she copes with being partially deaf, and how she has learned to handle situations due to this all because of how her father treats her disability. Trust me if this man was real, and I could have, I would have reached into the book and slapped him so hard, but with all her fathers’ actions he has raised a beautiful strong female. I loved that she was strong and did finally stand up for herself, her family and the community. I enjoyed that you got to see a love interest from a boy that is the same age as Thea and you get to watch this innocent romance start to bloom through all the darkness, and I mean darkness with all the dust.

I love that in this book you will find a story of resilience, finding a connection to your community, coming of age, self-acceptance, and global warming.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin Press for the opportunity to review this book.

A speculative fiction story, Stine explains the impetus for her creating the story and her #ownvoices connection as partially Deaf and where at one point a person told her she belonged to neither the hearing or Deaf world and another who said that she was part of both and that was a beautiful thing.

Either way, Thea and Ray meet in this dustbowl version of the world where survival isn't at its most dire but it is protected. Ray is in the Deaf community, Thea's family wants her to act as if she's hearing so that it makes it easier however she discovers through Ray that there's a whole other world that she's missed because of this.

The setting is what makes it unique as well as the characters who shape the story of leaning in to who they are and never being ashamed. Books like these always remind me of a high schooler I had nearly 15 years ago who LOVED environmental disaster/apocalypse stories. This one is for her wherever she may be!

I loved how many genres Dust encompassed! I mean, it's *almost* contemporary, but really more near future/alt history, mixed in with some cli-fi, a light YA romance, and features a main character with a hearing disability. Oh, and it feels high key culty at points! Color me impressed, frankly.

I enjoyed the story quite a bit- anytime a young woman goes on a journey of self-discovery and claiming her own agency I am here for it. And wow, will you feel for Thea. Her dad has uprooted the family to some godforsaken dustbowl in Colorado because... wait for it... my dude had a dream that he should. Like I had a dream that I was teaching rich kids on a movie set last night but you don't see me quitting my job. I digress. Anyway, he insists that Thea and her little sister be "homeschooled" and I use the term loosely because there is exactly zero "school" involved. He does let Thea have a job, but god forbid she speaks to another human. At least half the book is me wanting to kick this man in the nether regions, but alas.

Thea finally starts to see the world as it is more and more, thankfully. But that only makes things rougher, honestly, because now she knows how messed up the whole thing is. And it turns out that there are a lot of dangers lurking at the farm, and they aren't just crappy misogynist dad related. There is just a lot of stuff happening, but none of it feels forced. And because there is a lot involved, the pages just kept turning so I'd see how it all ended!

Bottom Line: Loved the incredible mix of genres as well as the very relevant commentary.

A teenager tries to follow her father’s lead to “get back to the land” as he abruptly moves the family across state lines based on a premonition. As the teen battles her own securities because of her disability and the burning need to broaden her world, she must also contend with a climate that provides only the harshest of conditions. Veteran climate fiction author Alison Stine returns with a contemplative look at how teens can fight for themselves in an unforgiving future in her newest book Dust.

Thea Taylor knows all about dust. It’s everywhere—on the table, on the floor, in the air. No matter how much she and her mother and sister clean the new home they’ve moved into, the dust finds a way to creep through the cracks and settle.

Of course, the house really isn’t new, just new to them. It was left behind by Old Man Cuthbert in Bloodless Valley, Colorado, after he couldn’t make the farm yield anything useful. Thea’s dad bought the farm for next to nothing and moved the whole family from Ohio to the new state where the air is so dry it’s causing Thea’s sister to develop a serious cough.

It seems like she’s the only one worried about her sister. Her dad is wrapped up in making the farm produce something, anything, worth selling. Her mother falls in line right behind her dad, although money is tight. Thea gets a job at the only café in town, and her mom works at the tiny grocery store next door. There’s no denying the Taylor family needs the money, but Thea also can’t ignore just how much her father hates that she leaves home every day. Young girls should be at home learning to mind hearth and family.

What’s worse is that Thea’s partial deafness irritates her dad. It’s almost like he holds it against her and has even insisted she pass for a hearing person. It’s easy to ignore him; there are so few visitors to Bloodless Valley that Thea spends her days sweeping the floor under the watch of her kind boss, Louisa, and almost no one else.

Then one day Thea meets Sam and his nephew, Ray, and she’s flabbergasted to discover that Ray is deaf too. Sam works as a federal land agent who visits farm families and often takes Ray with him. They invite Thea along, and for the first time Thea gets to meet the other people who inhabit the valley. Except her father hates all the connections she’s making and tries everything he can to stop it.

The dust everywhere is enough of a deterrent to living a normal life, but soon Thea can’t ignore the fact that something’s coming. She can sense it in the air. Her parents don’t want to hear about anything she’s learned. Yet Thea begins talking to people and forming her own opinions, and she knows that the dust everywhere is trying to send her a message: either the people of Bloodless Valley prepare for the worst storm of the century or risk getting blown away by it.

Author Alison Stine settles easily into Thea’s voice. The book is told through first person point of view, which allows readers the chance to get to know the protagonist well. Thea’s frustration with her deafness, with other people’s reactions to her deafness, and her father’s inability to admit just how badly life in Colorado is actually going all feel organic. Not all readers who come to this book will have a disability, but everyone can relate to feeling like they’re not being heard or even acknowledged in their own lives.

The picture Stine presents feels uncomfortably close to our current times, and that discomfort will keep readers engaged from start to finish. Even with the romance subplot that feels a little obligatory at times, Stine’s book offers a fresh way to think about disabilities and how those with living with them navigate the world in a way abled people don’t ever have to consider. The result is a thoughtful look at the realities of ableism and how it hurts others.

The resolution of the book feels a little too neat and tidy, but readers may be willing to forgive Stine the slightly rushed ending because of the buildup of the book. Those who enjoy climate fiction will definitely want to check this out.

This book has absolutely beautiful writing and focuses on a young girl who has a hearing disability that her parents don’t want to acknowledge. This disability becomes even more harrowing because she does not receive any support and her parents decide to go off the grid.

Dust is a speculative fiction novel where a girl comes of age tapped into the dangers of climate change.
After reading a pamphlet, Thea’s Father moves her family to the Bloodless Valley of southern Colorado to become self-sufficient. But the rivers are dry, the crops are barely growing, and the “black blizzards” of Colorado have returned. Much like the barren land, Thea feels her life has stopped growing. She is barely homeschooled, forbidden from going to the library, and has no way to contact her old friends. Her father has decided that their family needs no one but themselves. Except when they need money…
But to make ends meet, Thea is made to work at the café in what passes for town. There, she meets Ray, who is deaf. Thea, who was born hard of hearing, has always been pushed by her parents to pretend she can hear. Ray is secretly teaching Thea how to sign, and she learns that there is a whole community that is like her and could help support her. Before she can even think about changing her life, she has dreams of a catastrophic dust storm that will threaten everything her family has.
This an easy but engaging read. You from the point of view of the child what it’s like to be the child of a prepper. While the story is from the older girl’s perspective, we also see her little sister who is young enough to be pliable even though she sees problems in their lives. Thea’s life is exacerbated by the fact that her family refuses to take her disability of hard of hearing seriously. Allison Stine develops into the world of ableism as not only is Thea teased but she is expected to behave like she has no issues. The combination of the threads creates an unusual world for Thea and the reader.
The ending lets you down. It is not that the ending is bad but that it is anticlimactic. I expected more after all the buildup, I expected something more historical, something more life-changing that would truly explain the changes in some characters. What happened was enough for some characters but for the most stubborn? I call shenanigans! The ending needed a little more oomph to live up to the rest of the book,
Dust is an enjoyable read, and I’d definitely suggest it for the Young Adults. For those a bit older make sure to read Stine’s Road Out of Winter.