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popthebutterfly 's review for:
In the Neighborhood of True
by Susan Kaplan Carlton
Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5
Publication Date: April 9, 2019
Genre: YA Historical Fiction
Recommended Age: 16+ (mentions of sex, slight language, violence/bombing/acts of terrorism mentioned)
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Pages: 320
Amazon Link
Synopsis: A powerful story of love, identity, and the price of fitting in or speaking out.
After her father’s death, Ruth Robb and her family transplant themselves in the summer of 1958 from New York City to Atlanta—the land of debutantes, sweet tea, and the Ku Klux Klan. In her new hometown, Ruth quickly figures out she can be Jewish or she can be popular, but she can’t be both. Eager to fit in with the blond girls in the “pastel posse,” Ruth decides to hide her religion. Before she knows it, she is falling for the handsome and charming Davis and sipping Cokes with him and his friends at the all-white, all-Christian Club.
Does it matter that Ruth’s mother makes her attend services at the local synagogue every week? Not as long as nobody outside her family knows the truth. At temple Ruth meets Max, who is serious and intense about the fight for social justice, and now she is caught between two worlds, two religions, and two boys. But when a violent hate crime brings the different parts of Ruth’s life into sharp conflict, she will have to choose between all she’s come to love about her new life and standing up for what she believes
Review: Overall, I thought this was a wonderfully well written book. It gave me more knowledge about an event that I didn’t have that much information about and it made the event more personable. The book shows the people behind the synagogue bombing, both the victims and the terrorists. The book has amazing character development and it displayed anti-Semitism and racism very well in my opinion. I felt it was very relevant to our world today, especially after the Christchurch terrorist act. It is also an own voices novel!
However, the pacing was really slow and the book had a lot more dialogue then what I would have thought it needed. I felt like, because the pacing was so slow, that I couldn’t connect with the book like I wanted to. The bombing was in the last 15% of the book and I felt like the buildup to the event was way too much. I also had a problem with the grandmother. The grandmother had an obvious problem with the mother and with the main character’s practicing religion. I don’t like that it wasn’t outright dealt with. In my personal opinion, even if you’re related to me I don’t tolerate any sort of hate language and I would never around my kids or husband.
Verdict: A beautifully well written novel for all to read!
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5
Publication Date: April 9, 2019
Genre: YA Historical Fiction
Recommended Age: 16+ (mentions of sex, slight language, violence/bombing/acts of terrorism mentioned)
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Pages: 320
Amazon Link
Synopsis: A powerful story of love, identity, and the price of fitting in or speaking out.
After her father’s death, Ruth Robb and her family transplant themselves in the summer of 1958 from New York City to Atlanta—the land of debutantes, sweet tea, and the Ku Klux Klan. In her new hometown, Ruth quickly figures out she can be Jewish or she can be popular, but she can’t be both. Eager to fit in with the blond girls in the “pastel posse,” Ruth decides to hide her religion. Before she knows it, she is falling for the handsome and charming Davis and sipping Cokes with him and his friends at the all-white, all-Christian Club.
Does it matter that Ruth’s mother makes her attend services at the local synagogue every week? Not as long as nobody outside her family knows the truth. At temple Ruth meets Max, who is serious and intense about the fight for social justice, and now she is caught between two worlds, two religions, and two boys. But when a violent hate crime brings the different parts of Ruth’s life into sharp conflict, she will have to choose between all she’s come to love about her new life and standing up for what she believes
Review: Overall, I thought this was a wonderfully well written book. It gave me more knowledge about an event that I didn’t have that much information about and it made the event more personable. The book shows the people behind the synagogue bombing, both the victims and the terrorists. The book has amazing character development and it displayed anti-Semitism and racism very well in my opinion. I felt it was very relevant to our world today, especially after the Christchurch terrorist act. It is also an own voices novel!
However, the pacing was really slow and the book had a lot more dialogue then what I would have thought it needed. I felt like, because the pacing was so slow, that I couldn’t connect with the book like I wanted to. The bombing was in the last 15% of the book and I felt like the buildup to the event was way too much. I also had a problem with the grandmother. The grandmother had an obvious problem with the mother and with the main character’s practicing religion. I don’t like that it wasn’t outright dealt with. In my personal opinion, even if you’re related to me I don’t tolerate any sort of hate language and I would never around my kids or husband.
Verdict: A beautifully well written novel for all to read!