In the Neighborhood of True by Susan Kaplan Carlton
Release: April 9th 2019
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Source: Publisher
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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. Hence, 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. However, now she struggles 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 has to choose between all she loves about her new life and stand up for what she believes.
About the Author
Susan Kaplan Carlton teaches writing at Boston University. Her latest novel, In the Neighborhood of True, has been named a Best Book of the Year by Amazon. She received a starred review in Publishers Weekly, and scored 10/10 in YOYA. Carlton’s writing has appeared in Self, Elle, Mademoiselle, Seventeen, Parents, The Boston Globe, and elsewhere. She is also the author of the young adult novel Love & Haight, which was named a Best Book for Young Adults by YALSA and a Best Book by the Children’s Book Committee at Bank Street Books.
In the Neighborhood of True Review:
Many thanks to Algonquin Young Readers for providing me this book for my review. This turned out to be a beautiful story about being true to yourself and fight for your rights.
The author did a wonderful job in writing the story inspired by real events. The story is inspired by the bombing of Atlanta’s oldest synagogue. The bombing occurred on October 12, 1958 which made headlines. Although I had heard of this incident, this story made me research it further. Moreover, while the story might be set in the in 1950s, I could still relate to it in our present times. Although we have come a long way in accepting each other, I feel like there are still those who are racists towards other religions, skin colors and sexuality. This story does a great job in highlighting the issues. Moreover, I loved all the 1950s pop culture references, and made me feel like I was actually in the era.
Also, I thought the author did a beautiful job with her characters. I really liked Ruth as the main character. Ruth wants to live the Southern dream of wearing beautiful dresses and attending dances. She also fits perfectly into the popular crowd and country clubs, but stills feel guilty over hiding her heritage. Similarly, a lot of us face challenges on being true to ourselves, and often have two faces (one for us, and one for the world). The author did a wonderful job in highlighting Ruth’s conflict as she struggles to do the right thing.
Overall, I truly loved reading this book and encourage reading if you are in the mood for a meaningful historical fiction novel.
