In the Neighborhood of True by Susan Kaplan Carlton
Rating: ★★★★☆

In the Neighborhood of True by Susan Kaplan Carlton dives into the 1950s America with a story that's both intriguing and relevant. I really enjoyed how it explored identity and societal issues against the backdrop of a tumultuous time in history. The setting felt authentic, and it added depth to the characters' journeys.

What stood out to me was how Carlton blends historical events with personal storytelling. The main character, Ruth, faces challenges that resonate beyond her time, dealing with issues of belonging and cultural identity. The book offers a lot of insight into that era's struggles while weaving in a compelling narrative.

I liked how Carlton developed the characters and brought the historical context to life. It's a good read if you're into stories that mix history with personal growth and social commentary.

I chose this novel for my book club as I was curious to read it and since we're a Jewish group, it was something that could definitely appeal to everyone.

Overall, it was an interesting story. I liked the setting, both for the time and place. The year made me think of 11/22/63 but this story is completely different. I appreciated the simplicity of the late 1950s though. However, things weren't so simple for Ruth, as there were all these different rules to play by and she had to please two different sets of people: Her friends, who were all Christian and practicing for their debutante ball, and her mom, who wanted her to keep her Jewish identity alive after her father passed away.

The story itself is incredibly relevant given what has been going on in our country with the rise in antisemitism. Some parts hit too close to home and were horrifying to think about. The author's note touches on this, as well, even though she wrote this novel a few years ago.

What didn't work for me as much was that the prose felt clunky a lot of the time. It was still very much readable, but it didn't flow as smoothly as I would have liked and I felt like I had to pace myself with how much I could read at a time. I also noticed some timing errors that got under my skin.

Overall, I think this is a worthwhile read, especially right now. While this isn't a Holocaust novel, it touches a lot upon the prejudice against Jewish people and how violence can easily escalate if this isn't curbed. Education is so important! This novel was based on a real situation that happened in Atlanta in the late 1950s. A lot of it reminded me of School Ties, as well. (Maybe because I recently watched it again.)

This was an interesting read. A bit on the slow side, but still good enough to read. I usually stay away from historical fiction, but the synopsis really caught my attention.

https://stephhuddleston.com/2020/07/11/book-review-in-the-neighborhood-of-true-by-susan-carlton/

Posted on July 11 2020
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Book review: In The Neighborhood of True by Susan Carlton

Would you fit in for love – or speak out for what’s right?

A timely, young adult romance that examines religion, race and fitting in. In The Neighborhood of True is a beautiful and thought-provoking read.

Thank you to Susan Carlton and Algonquin Books for sending me an e-book of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What is In The Neighborhood of True about?
It’s the summer of 1958 and Ruth Robb’s father has recently died. With her mother and younger sister, Ruth relocates from New York to Atlanta.

Debutante balls, sweet tea, coca-cola, dimple faced boys rival for Ruth’s attention. But as she adjusts to life in the South, it becomes clear who she is may not fit right here. She’s a Jew, and to her newfound friends in the ‘pastel-posse’ and the boy she’s falling for, that’s a big deal.

Against the backdrop of racial and religious tensions and the Klu Klux clan, Ruth must navigate what it means to be true. Discovering the truth isn’t always easy.

Book cover for In The Neighborhood of True
What I liked about In The Neighborhood of True?
In The Neighborhood of True has a gripping opening.

Carlton balances this tension with excellent momentum throughout the novel. I was held to the pages, wanting to know what would happen next.

The character development was exceptional, with the main character displaying that exquisite angst that it seems all teens have around fitting in. This is a common theme in young adult novels, the desire to fit in and be accepted by peers is vital. Readers will relate to those feelings of self-doubt and anxiety around social mis-steps.

The Neighborhood of True‘s triumph is in how it goes beyond the typical ‘fitting in’ concerns to discuss deep and complex issues.

Ruth’s is a Jew, and a member of a synagogue with a passion for racial equality. It was moving to witness the characters struggle with these issues and how they relate to her identity.

The conversation of how to be an ally to those facing racial oppression is one that is ongoing and important. In recent months it’s been occurring more often.

In The Neighborhood of True is a useful way for younger readers to engage with this conversation. Ruth must struggle with her own role, and her place in speaking up against the actions of others.

Many young adult books skim the surface of right and wrong, without challenging readers to consider the real world implications of their own actions.

In The Neighborhood of True with its historical fiction setting is positioned well to challenge, and engage readers in this dialogue.

It’s easy to sit back, to omit truths about ourselves or those around us. To convince ourselves its someone elses fight, not our problem. This book shrinks the distancing, and forces the main character, and readers to confront their own discomfort.

What I didn’t like about The Neighborhood of True?
This was an excellent read. It engaged with a historical time period and culture that I am largely unfamilar with.

That being said, it should be noted that this book, does not have many significant characters who are black. Race is an issue that occurs as a backdrop to the exploration of the character’s identity and struggles around acceptance.

Some may critique this book along similar lines to how The Help has been critiqued. It’s important to remember when black lives are being spoken about, rather than with. In these situations, representation can become a major issue.

In The Neighborhood of True is primarily about the main character’s journey with her own identity. This has merit, and is explored intentionally and with clear efforts made by the author for sensitivity.

The conclusions the book draws around prejudice and hatred is one which has merit. This book does not try to speak on behalf of black people. That is an important distinction between The Neighborhood of True and The Help.

Where can I get a copy?
In The Neighbourhood of True is available from The Book Depository here.

Final thoughts
This is a captivating read! Definitely one to check out.

Readers should be aware that this book does discuss the Klu Klux Klan and some descriptions of violence that are distressing. For that reason, I wouldn’t suggest this book for young readers, unless reading with the supervision of an adult they can discuss the issues raised in the book.

This would make a fantastic book club pick, as there’re so many interesting elements in the book to discuss! You’ll just have to read it.






:)
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Participated in blog tour by posting an excerpt! Introductory comments from post:

Hi everyone! Long time no see, but I’m so glad to be coming back from my hiatus to talk about this absolutely incredible book and I’m so honored to be a part of the blog tour! And I am even more elated to share with you all an excerpt (!!!) of this title before its release next week on April 9. This book is truly so special, so unique, and both heartwrenching and heartwarming. It’s romantic, historical, and an integral read considering our current global political climate. I sincerely hope this first chapter hooks you just as quickly as it hooked me. Scroll on down to hear more about the book and check out the first chapter!

A DNF for me.
I read about 35% of this book and just felt like I couldn't get into it - this is not saying that the book is not good, it just isn't the book for me. I applaud Susan Kaplan Carlton for bringing some hard topics to the novel, unfortunately, the pace fell a little slow for me. Eventually, I would love to revisit this book as I see it getting a lot of praise from other readers and will update my review when I try this one again.
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I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I DNF this book...It was not for me sadly...
The characters didn't stick with me, I couldn't enjoy the plot at all
but I believe others will enjoy it!

A beautiful, slow build novel that feels almost worthy of a required-reading tag. We loved this one!

Full review: https://sumaiyaahmed.com/2020/07/07/in-the-neighborhood-of-true/

Anyways, onto this book. IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF TRUE is a powerful story of love, identity, and the price of fitting in or speaking out. It is a story that fits into current events, particularly in America and the Black Lives Movement, though set in the 1950’s amidst the crusade of the hateful group, KKK. It speaks volumes about identity and fitting in and trying to be two people at once.

It’s 1959, and Ruth Robb is a Jewish teen from New York who moves to Atlanta to live with her mother’s family after her father’s sudden death. She enters a rarefied world of debutante dances and country clubs, and her socialite (and Christian) grandmother encourages her to keep her religion a secret to fit in. Ruth embraces her new life, dating a handsome good old boy, but she can’t ignore the harsh realities of life in the south under Jim Crow. She attends the synagogue every Saturday, and the rabbi is promoting the civil rights movement. She meets a young Jewish man who’s fighting the good fight, and she has to decide who she wants to be.

This is a great book. Ruth is a really well-written, multifaceted character. She wants to do the right thing, but she also wants to be crowned queen at a debutante dance. She has a lot of conflicting emotions, and she felt very real to me.

The portrayal of life in the Deep South at the beginning of the civil rights movement is fascinating. The veneer of pretty dresses and debutante dances is hiding a lot of ugly truths. The KKK is terrorizing Black people (and the Klan is also anti-Semitic), Ruth’s private school was formed by parents who didn’t want to send their children to segregated public schools, and Ruth wouldn’t be allowed into any of the fancy country club events if anyone knew she was Jewish. There’s a lengthy author’s note at the end of the book that provides more historical context and gives the author’s reasons for writing the book.

This is an excellent coming of age story, and the time and place it’s set in give the story extra resonance. Figuring out who you want to and what you stand for is such a big part of being a teen, and this book really captures that. It also feels timely right now as we as a nation are facing a reckoning on systemic racism and the many ways that our society is built against Black people. I highly recommend this book.

thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the gifted copy, all thoughts are my own

I was really interested in reading this book but found it very difficult to read and sadly ended up dnfng it. I don't know if it was intentional or the formatting but all the f words were off. Example: F loor

What an engaging and thoughtful story! I just loved getting to know Ruth and her family.

Its 1958 and Ruth's father has passed away. Her mother decides a move is necessary and takes her family from NYC to Atlanta. Talk about a different world. Ruth quickly susses out that in order to fit in at her new school she must not be Jewish. Yep, she must hide her religion in order to be popular. So, she keeps her faith a secret from her new friends. However, at home, she is still Jewish. Ruth still goes to service at the local synagogue. She even meets someone named Max at temple. He's all for social justice and embraces his Judaism. He has Ruth questioning her decision to hide her true self from her new friends. And then something unthinkable happens, which has Ruth truly wondering about her faith, her friends, her family, and the world at large.

Talk about a riveting read! I found myself gripped from the start. I loved spending time in Atlanta with Ruth, her family, friends and Max. Such a great story!!

In the Neighborhood of True is the most powerful, compelling book I have read this year. The story immediately captivated with the first-person narrative of a teenage girl, a secular Jew, who relocates with her widowed mother and younger sister from New York to Atlanta. But the year is 1958, just at the beginning of the Civil Rights movement, and Jim Crow, the KKK, lynchings, and segregation are very much alive. Sent to an elite private (and Christian) high school, Ruth is initially sheltered from these tumultuous events as she is drawn into the world of Southern belles, debutante balls, and a fairy-tale boyfriend. Her mother’s response is to begin regular family attendance at the nearest synagogue, which is already involved in protesting racism. Although torn between the glamour and romance of the conventional white world and the deeper values her Jewish roots, Ruth “passes” as a WASP.

From the opening courtroom scene, though, Ruth’s narrative conveys her understanding of overt and covert bigotry. She’s aware that whites and Negros, to use the terminology of the time, swear on different Bibles, but nowhere is there a copy of her own scripture, Tanakh. Her grandmother hands her a little pink book of Southern feminine etiquette, and her history teacher refers to the Civil War as “The War of Northern Aggression.” Brown v Board of Ed (1954), the decision that desegregated schools, was considered a day of mourning.

Ruth struggles to keep the two worlds separate. She wants desperately to make herself into the ideal of Southern womanhood and for a romance with the most devastatingly cute boy she’s ever met. But her Jewish and her Southern selves move onto a collision course when the synagogue is vandalized with the words, JEWS ARE NEGRO LOVERS and a giant swastika. And from there, the violence against both Blacks and Jews escalates, and Ruth must make hard choices about where her committment lies – to what is beguiling and easy, or to what is hard and terrifying.

The text is readily accessible and the story moves along with engrossing, page-turning speed, while at the same weaving a tapestry of complex moral issues. Teens may lack the life experience of their parents, but they are also capable of discernment and courage. Even as Ruth wrestles with her youthful insecurity, the longing for approval, and the seductive nature of rewritten history, she also responds to the call to justice that is the heart of her true heritage.

Highly recommended, relevant, and a meaningful read for both teens and their parents.

In the Neighborhood of True is set in 1958 and follows 17-year-old Jewish New Yorker Ruth Robb in the months following her family’s move back to her mother’s hometown of Atlanta, Georgia after her father’s death, and leading up to Ruth learning that the boy she loves, Davis, was likely involved in the bombing of her Temple. The book is loosely based on a lesser known but still pretty influential historical event–the bombing of Atlanta’s oldest synagogue in October 1958, during which nobody was harmed but that still brought people of all backgrounds together. One goes into this story already knowing the ending, but I still liked reading about Ruth learning to cope with her father’s death, seek belonging in her new city, and fall in love with Davis (even if he isn’t exactly likeable). Ruth is torn between the natural adolescent desire to fit in and her mother’s preaching to stand out, and upon arriving in Atlanta, she learns that she must hide the Jewish part of her identity in order to fit in. Many YA novels have attempted to explore the dangers of changing oneself to fit in, but In the Neighborhood of True goes beyond simply having a “be yourself’ message and explores the dangers of hiding parts of one’s identity. Throughout the story, Ruth finds herself caught between two worlds as she attempts to present herself as a pre-debutante in public and as a secret radical within the sanctuary of her synagogue.

The synagogue which Ruth goes to (the one that was bombed in the true event that sparked this story) was a center for early civil-rights advocacy in the mid-twentieth century, and while there, Ruth’s eyes are open to the discrimination that she was blind to while living in New York. Despite taking place six decades ago, In the Neighborhood of True is pretty timely. Overall, it was a powerful yet relatable story that I definitely recommend.

“Shalom, y’all.”

Ruth Robb was born and raised in New York City, but following her father’s sudden death, she moves with her mother and sisters to Atlanta, where her mother’s family lives. The year is 1958. Almost immediately she is faced with a critical choice: should she quietly avoid mentioning her Jewish roots and allow her peers to make assumptions based on her grandparents’ standing in their Protestant church, or should she risk her newfound popularity with candor? My thanks go to Algonquin Books and Net Galley for inviting me to read and review. This book is for sale now.

The family has barely begun to grieve their loss. Everything is tossed into boxes and they leave New York, soon to be embraced by Ruth’s loving grandparents. Their new home, however, is almost too good to be true: the house is large and luxurious, with a pool; her grandparents are generous and solicitous; their deep roots in the community make for nearly instant acceptance among the girls’ peers. But Ruth’s grandmother, called “Fontaine” within the family, has plans for Ruth and her younger sister, Nattie. They are enrolled in an elite Christian school, and Ruth is sent to private lessons for a “pre-debutante.” There’s a little pink book that serves as a grooming and etiquette guide, and it is specific and proscribed.

What isn’t in the pink book is the synagogue. Fontaine immediately informs the girls that they are, after all, “Half Christian,” but their mother quickly reminds her mother that she is a convert, and the girls are Jewish, period.

The characters are so resonant and believable that I find myself reflecting on the amount of stress that the girls, Ruth in particular, are experiencing. First, they must leave all of their friends, and the culture in which they’ve been raised, behind; their father is gone forever; and now there’s this tension between their loving grandmother, who provides them with everything, and their mother. This is not a dramatic conflict; but it shimmers under the surface constantly. They are a loving family, and they’re civilized. Yet Ruth is torn. But her nearly instant popularity galvanizes her, and she decides not to decide, by skating around questions of church and religion. After awhile her evasions become deception. Her mother is a discreet but unmovable force, with a sort of Jiminy Cricket demeanor: don’t forget who you are, Ruth. When are you going to tell your friends? What do they think you are doing on the weekend? The ante is upped when Ruth falls in love with Davis, who’s a big man on campus.

Things come to a head when the local synagogue is vandalized.

Carlton’s author blurb says that she had a similar experience, although she wasn’t the teenager, she was the mom. No doubt this is responsible for some of the story’s authenticity, but much of the compelling narrative has to be chalked up to excellent writing. There’s never a stereotype, and I never felt I was being lectured. Instead I am absorbed. What the heck is Ruth going to do? And though I am unfamiliar with Atlanta, there are several times when colloquial expressions that have fallen out of use pop into the story, expressions I recall from my early childhood in the 1960s. But the author never leans on pop cultural references; rather, they drop in naturally. It’s smooth as glass.

Sexual references tend toward the general; there is sex included, but not much detail. I include this information for teachers and parents considering including it in their libraries. If in doubt, read it before you present it to the young people in your life.

Since retiring from teaching language arts to adolescents, I have generally avoided reading young adult novels. I’ve been there and done that. But there’s an exception to everything, and I am glad I was given the chance to read this one. Highly recommended.

In the Neighborhood of True by Susan Kaplan Carlton is as impactful as it is sweet. You root for Ruth to do the right thing, but you don't begrudge her for wanting so desperately to fit in. Instead, it is easy to pity her position, making her growth by the end all the more liberating- for her and the reader.

Set in 1959 Atlanta, Ruth's family leaves New York for the South after her father's untimely death. Her mother's family welcomes them home to a life of debutante balls and rules of being a lady. Ruth is immediately taken with this life, the life her mother turned down. But quickly she is taught by her grandmother that to maintain this life, she must keep a big secret- she can't let anyone know she's Jewish.

Soon Ruth's mother strikes up a deal: go to Temple and embrace her Jewishness with family, and she's welcome to attend all the balls and football games she wants. In keeping her side of the bargain, Ruth meets Max, who introduces her to the injustice and hatred facing the Jewish and Black communities of Atlanta.

This, of course, disrupts her prettier life emerging with the most popular boy in school, Davis Jefferson (no, Ruth doesn't miss this interesting name detail).

Balancing these two lifestyles falls apart for Ruth in the end, when she wakes up to find her Temple has been bombed. As she pieces together who was responsible for the attack, she is forced to come to terms with who she really is, and who is willing to accept her.

If I had one complaint about In the Neighborhood of True, it is the lack of Max. We are set up to expect a love triangle, but Max barely achieved this goal. We get a cute scene where Ruth learns to drive, but ultimately they feel more friendly than romantic, and he's never set against Davis as a real competitor. That makes the metaphor of the competing lifestyles fall a bit flat, as well.

All in all, I recommend In the Neighborhood of True by Susan Kaplan Carlton. It's sweet, sincere, and a rising call-to-action that is, unfortunately, more relevant today than ever.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I’m usually not that into historical fiction, but I’m glad I decided to take part in the insta tour of this one ✨ Even though In the Neighborhood of True is mostly about antisemitism, the discrimination of Blacks is also prevalent. The sayings in it ring true to this day. “𝑰𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒖𝒑, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒐𝒓𝒚.” Powerful.

In a way, it reminded me a little of Where the Crawdads Sing. The book starts off with a court case and the story sucked me in immediately. The characters are so varied and I rooted for Ruth. I liked how even though she wanted to fit in, she was her own person and grew a lot. The story was lighthearted at times, yet thought-provoking. Definitely recommend it!

In the Neighborhood of Truth tells a story of a Jewish teenager, Ruth Robb who after father’s death moved from New York to Atlanta with her family. Her first weeks in the new city is all about blending in, which means hiding her religion from her new friends. Life in Atlanta differs from life in New York so Ruth meets a lot of difficulties on her way. I really like Ruth’s character, she reminds me myself of the high school years, so I could kind of relationship with her fear of not being accepted of who she really is in the new circle of friends. Her mother and older sister complicate the situation because they want her to be open about who she is. If it would happen in our times it wouldn’t be such a big problem, however, since it was the year 1958, everything was different back then, when Jews were hated by people in the south.

The sweetest part of this book is her relationship with Davis, who from day one keeps an eye on her. Their time together is honestly my favorite time in this book. I’m not really into teenage romance stories but this one is very enjoyable. Davis is a lovely boy; he clearly cares about Ruth and tries to do everything for her family to like him.

Since the young years, I was raised on the Polish war movies which very often concluded the way Polish Jews were treated and harmed during this time. However, I never knew how their life looked like in the countries like United States. This book showed me that it wasn’t much better there than in my country, which is very upsetting. The book consists of many facts that people should remember. Moreover, it illustrates the growth of the modern way of thinking about black people and Jews by the younger generation.

Overall, it is a very short read. If I wouldn’t need to work every day, I would finish it in a day. It talks about subjects I’ve never read a book about before, so it was very interesting to learn more about it. I don’t think there are many books that touch this subject individually and if there are, people didn’t talk enough about them. Personally, I would love to read multicultural books more often and learn more and more about different cultures and religions. It’s a very interesting subject to explore. That’s why I am very happy that the times are changing and there are more and more books like this that are not based only on white society.
I would like to recommend this book to everyone, who enjoys diversity in books and want to learn more about the life of Jewish people. I would like to thank Kelly Doyle, Susan Kaplan Carlton, and Algonquin Young Readers for inviting me to join this tour!

Let me start off by saying LOOK AT THAT COVER!! It is absolutely stunning, right? So elegant. 😌 Anyway, back to the normal review.

Set in 1958 in Atlanta, In The Neighborhood of True is full of parties, shift dresses, pre-debutantes, and…the Ku Klux Klan. Ruth is Jewish, as is her mother and sister. I can’t speak on Judaism itself, but I feel the religious aspect wasn’t explored as much as I’d thought, seeing that the summary itself says “Ruth quickly figures out she can be Jewish or she can be popular, but she can’t be both.” I would have liked to see Ruth’s religious side be just as elaborated upon as her attempts to fit in with the crowd.

The story was also fairly predictable, and not just because of the first chapter. The pacing was too fast for my tastes. Toward the end, a major event happens, but there didn’t seem to be enough emotion or room for reflection before Ruth is back to partying. From that point to the end, everything seemed to happen too fast and with not enough emotion or conflict. I guess the author intended it to be a “wake up call” for Ruth, but it didn’t seem to hit home as much as it should have.

I also didn’t feel emotionally connected to any of the characters (except for Ruth’s sister – she was adorable and reminded me of my own sisters). Even the “swoon-worthy” Davis was uninteresting, and I’m usually the first to fall for the cute love interest. I was also pretty suspicious of a few of the characters. How am I supposed to be invested in a story when I’m constantly getting bad vibes?

And now, let’s talk a little more about the romance. This book was set up PERFECTLY for a love triangle, yet it never happened. It was like subtle hinting without ever making the first step. The romance that Ruth did have felt very off, and not just because she’s totally pretending to be something she’s not. I love a good romance, but everything about this screamed “Ruth, you fool, don’t get invested!” I just didn’t like it. Everything about her and Davis’ relationship felt very surface-level, and not quite real. The one likable thing about Davis to me was that he knew a ton of information about stars and flora. But was that enough to make him the total dreamboat (did I really just use that word?) that Ruth put him on a pedestal as? Not. Really.

But the book was not totally bad. I did give it 3 stars, which means it was fairly average but not enough that I didn’t enjoy it. I very much liked the theme of fighting against antisemitism and racism – that is always important. This story handled those themes very tastefully. Antisemitism and racism are two of many things that are our human duty to bring down as much as possible. In The Neighborhood Of True spreads awareness and acceptance. And it has a pretty cover – before I knew the premise, the cover motivated me to get a closer look. I’m always down for a book with a pretty cover – even more so when it has a good message!

After her dad passes away, Ruth moves from 1950s NYC to Atlanta with her mom and her sister Nattie. Soon she finds herself enthralled with the southern charm of sweet tea and debutantes. She’s drawn to the new culture and yearns to be a part of the “pastel posse”, a group of all white and Christian girls who spend their time flaunting in dresses at debutantes and dances. But in order to do so, Ruth must keep her identity as a Jew a secret.

However, among the Southern charm are flaws that Ruth can’t come to terms with. In the time of Jim Crow and KKK, with society denouncing those who aren’t white, or blonde, or Christian, Ruth finds herself constantly dodging racial and religious slurs. But when something terrible happens in her neighborhood, Ruth has to decide whether to stay hidden or speak out.

Ruth is such a great character to follow and her struggles feel so authentic and relatable. She’s constantly trying to find a balance between following the norm and following what she believes, which often are pitted against each other. These two polarities not only play out in her beliefs but also in the people she knows. She falls for the charming Davis who is part of the all-white, all-Christian Club, but also befriends Max, who encourages her to fight for social justice. When a dynamite is planted in her local Synagogue, Ruth suspects who planted it, but to tell the truth means to let go of the facade that she’s created for herself. She’s such a strong character to follow, and it was such a joy to watch her decide and finding strength from within.

It was such an eye opening read in learning about the prejudices against Jews outside of the historical WWII setting, and it was a little shocking how relevant some things still are. The book came out at such a pertinent time. It’s a beautiful read and the message is such an important one. Truly recommend reading the book!