An absolute must read!

Even though this is a historical fiction novel, it ties in very heavily to the society we live in today. The writing in this was so well done and brought the time period to life so well. I was instantly sucked into Ruth's world from the moment this started.

I think this book will resonate with readers from all different backgrounds because of all the issues it touches upon. Whether it be the characters, grieving a loved one, or the social issues there is something that this book offers to everyone.

I loved that Ruth was able to find her voice and do what was right. That's a big deal in itself, but given the time period this book takes place in it's an even bigger accomplishment.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I'm so glad I was given the opportunity to read this. It definitely deserves to be talked about much more than it is!

Ruth felt like a fish out of water, when her family relocated from New York to Atlanta following her father's death. She was immediately caught up in all the fanfare surrounding the pre-debutant world, but she quickly realized, that in order to keep her place in that world, she would need to hide a piece of herself.

This book left me with a heavy heart. The story is set in the past, in 1958, yet many people still experience similar things today. I did enjoy reading about this through a historical lens, though, because it's easy to forget that side of the 1950s. There were all those clean cut looking kids attending their sock hops and listening to doo-wop as we see in many films, but there was also segregation, antisemitism, and homophobia.

The heart of this story for me was Ruth's inner conflict. She wanted to be part of the group and enjoy all the galas, the Club, and a romance with a handsome boy, but there was a cost. She could not reveal that she was Jewish. Ruth was still grieving her father, and hiding the fact that she was Jewish was a sort of betrayal of her heart, as her religion was so intertwined with the memories of her father. Carlton did a beautiful job navigating all the emotions Ruth was experiencing, and I really enjoyed seeing her work through it all. I was actually really surprised by a few decisions Ruth made, and some made me quite proud of her, because I knew they were not easy choices.

Historically speaking, Carlton ably brought me back to that time. From the hair to the music to the lingo, I felt very immersed in the time period. She peppered the story with many important events from the early civil rights movement, as well as some lesser known acts of antisemitism, such as the murder of Leo Frank. I was engaged and entertained.

A compelling historical look at life in the American south brought to life with great details and interesting characters, which highlighted the difficulties and rewards of being true to yourself and taking a stand for justice.

This book is a must read. The message the author sends to readers is very relevant to events taking place in the world today despite being a historical fiction piece.

This is historical fiction but feels very, very relevant to today. There are a lot of anti-Semitic hate crimes now and a temple being bombed feels very plausible.

Ruth is Jewish. She's never had a problem before but once she and her family move to the south, she starts to hide it. She still goes to temple with her mom and sister, but she doesn't advertise it. She rationalizes it as being fine because it's not like she's lying; it's just that no one asks. (Except that's not true because someone asks what church she goes to and she mentions her grandmother's church---her mom converted to Judaism when she married Ruth's dad.)

She becomes increasingly uncomfortable, though, when Klan activity starts to ramp up. (Someone in her friend group calls cross burnings "lightings" and says they reflect Southern spirit. When Ruth repeats it to her mom, she replies, "I hope she's not a close friend" and all I can say is I want a spinoff of Ruth's journalism mother because she is the actual best.)

This is an amazing book and I'm glad I got a chance to review it.

Highly recommended.

I love reading historical fiction. This is especially true in regards to fiction that covers a point in history I was not previously aware of or a certain aspect of history I wasn't aware of. In The Neighborhood of True is that kind of book though. 

 Susan Kaplan Carlton's In The Neighborhood of True is about a high school girl named Ruth who has to hide that she is Jewish after moving with her mother and sister to her grandparent's home in the south. She soon finds herself torn between two different boys, two different lives, and what she wants to be vs. who others expect her to be. However, after anti semitic hate crime occurs in her area she is forced to confront who she really is and decide what is worth more: her true identity or her false one. 

The first thing I enjoyed about this book was the fact that it discussed a period of time in America and a situation that I wasn't too familiar with. While I knew that there was a history of anti-semitism around the world I did not realize how bad it was in the Southern US in the 50s. It was something I really wished that I had known before and really hope other people will learn. It makes me happy that this point in US history though was not only touched on in this book, but made the main focus. However, That is not all of what can be learned from this book. I had no idea that some people in the South didn't call the Civil War "The Civil War" and instead called it "The War of Northern Aggression." I also had no idea about the societal rules and regulations that debutante young women had in this time. While this book is a work of fiction, the issues and situations that are featured in this story are very much real. I admire a work of historical fiction that can discuss points in history that are not as discussed in other works and be as truthful about it as possible. The author seemed to do her research and made this book that much more enjoyable with it's factual content. 

Another reason I really enjoyed this book was the that characters and how they were three dimensional. This was especially true in regards to the main character Ruth. You understand Ruth's point of views and her situation. You are able to sympathize with her and understand the reason for why she is doing what she is. You get to see how Ruth feels torn between being open about being Jewish and how she feels in different situations depending on that circumstance. The torn between two worlds trope is one I have seen done countless times in fiction. Here though, it is done excellently and really puts you in the shoes of the main character. 

The last reason I enjoyed this book was the execution of the story. There are many times that I can predict what will happen in a book. However, with this book I really did not know what was going to happen until the last page. There were times when I thought it would go one way and then It went another. There were times when what I thought a person was suspicious of something actually was not. I really love surprises in a story and you will love this book if you like them too. 

There are 2 reason I am not giving this book 5 stars, despite the fact that is was very good. The first being the filler. I felt like there were a lot of filler pages in the text and a lot of things that could have been omitted for other things. Which leads me to the second reason I am not giving this book 5 stars which is the climax of the book being rushed. One of the biggest parts of the book is the hate crime that occurs, but it does not occur until about 60% of the way through the book. Now that is not too bad, but the real issue I have is that the trial occurs on the last few pages of the book and I believe could have been either elaborated on or could have included one more chapter or epilogue. The ending felt a little too abrupt for me and I wish more time had been spent on the crime rather than what lead up to it. However, these reasons should in no way discourage you from reading the book. They are just the explanation behind why I gave this the rating I did. 

Overall, In The Neighborhood of True is a well written surprise that brings light to a time in American history that many people may not remember or think about in regards to anti-semitism. The book explores the themes of being yourself and standing up for what it right, two things that we should try to do more of. As I said before I had some issues with the story structure of the book, but that should in no way cause someone to not pick it up. This book is a fantastic example of historical fiction done right.

Ruth is a Jewish girl who moves with her mom and sister to live with her mother's not Jewish family in the South in the 1950s. Her father died suddenly and now they have not only lost him, but his culture. Ruth doesn't know how to handle it, especially because her grandmother is pushing her to go the debutante route, which only works if you don't mention you are Jewish. How will Ruth handle it? How will she handle it with her very Southern boyfriend?

This book is really about Ruth coming to terms with who she is in a lot of different ways. Her mother, who did convert to Judaism, makes them go to temple but doesn't make Ruth do anything else or say she is Jewish in any way. I loved that, it felt authentic, especially from a Jewish mother. I also loved the way they talked about the congregation and the rabbi--working to help with integration because of their white privilege...which wasn't always granted them as Jews.

A large event really makes a splash at the end, although it's based on a true event and it's not overblown.

E ARC from Edelweiss Plus

In 1958, Ruth and her family relocate from New York City to a suburb of Atlanta after the death of her father. Her family runs the local newspaper, so her mother goes to work as a society writer while Ruth and her younger sister stay in their grandparents' cottage. Fontaine, her grandmother, is very eager for Ruth to be part of the debutante scene, since both she and Ruth's mother were Magnolia Queens back in the day. Ruth isn't wild about wearing tea dresses and listening to the girls speculate about her background, but she wants a social life, and some of the girls aren't bad. The problem? Ruth's father was Jewish, her mother converted, and Atlanta society at the time did NOT accept Jewish members! Fontaine says just to keep it quiet, but as social unrest starts to grow during the long, hot summer, Ruth starts to question her grandmother's views. She starts attending synagogue and meets Max, who is working with social justice programs, but she also meets the more traditional Davis, who is cute, popular, and likes her a lot. When the synagogue is bombed, Ruth starts to question her status even more, especially when she suspects that Davis' brother might have a connection to it.
Strengths: This did an excellent job of channeling teen novels of the 1950s (I have quite the collection, so I know this!), down to the pastel tea dresses and bouffant hair dos. It reminded me a little of Cavanna's Jenny Kimura. The real brilliance of this, however, is the inclusion of more problematic material. I loved that the debs had flasks of Southern Comfort in their handbags, that the back biting is more than just over who doesn't where cashmere sweaters, and that we have a New York view of Southern life at the time. Ruth's desire to pass is completely understandable, but so is her realization that this isn't really going to work. Very interesting book about civil rights in the mid twentieth century, but also a very timely story as well.
Weaknesses: While I understand that a huge plot point hinges on the fact that Ruth spent the night with Davis, this (combined with the drinking) pushes it over into the Young Adult section. I would have thought that Ruth's family would have been HUGELY upset about her fall from virtue, but that isn't mentioned very much. Yes, other things are going on, but the fact that her granddaughter spent the night with a boy would surely have sent Fontaine to bed with the vapors for days.
What I really think: I won't be purchasing it for middle school, but would definitely be glad to have this in a high school collection.

It's so nice to see Jewish historical fiction that isn't about WWII. This book takes us to Atlanta, Georgia during the Civil Rights era. This book is about confronting bias and racism, and it explores how Ruth deals with her identity as a minority and what that means in her relationships with other people. It's short, but it's a deep story. It confronts uncomfortable topics while also being entertaining and without losing threads in the plot. I loved this book, and I will probably buy it in print when it comes out. The only reason I didn't give it a 5 star rating was because of Thurston-Ann. Her character struck me as particularly flat, and the other typical southern girls are too. However, I felt there was the start of a sub-plot with her, and our attention is pushed to her several times in what seems an unnecessary way if she's just meant to be another character in Ruth's story. I can't pinpoint why she kept pulling my attention, but she did. Her odd middle ground of flat/rounded character was slightly distracting. Otherwise, this story is superb, and I can't wait to read it again.

This is a beautifully written historical novel that will still resonate with readers today. It touches on love, loss, social justice, courage, and finding one’s true self. Even teens who shy away from standard historical fiction will relate to Ruth and her struggles.

This is a well written, fresh take on fitting in. Set in 1958, in the pre-civil rights south, Jewish Ruth Robb moves from New York to Atlanta, her mother's hometown, after her father dies. The only way to fit in here is to deny her Jewish identity. It’s even more complicated for Ruth because her mother converted to Judaism. Ruth’s Christian grandmother encourages her to leave that behind and embrace the WASP culture she could legitimately claim so she can join her grandmother's elite social circle. When observing blatant anti-Semitism and threats to the local Jewish community, she must decide if she’s willing to pay the high cost of passing. I appreciate the author making this complicated. Ruth is young, wants to be popular and is struggling to understand this new culture. The characters serve to frame differing viewpoints, shining a light on Ruth's conflicting feelings. Despite being set in a more restrictive era, the question of how much of yourself you hide in order to be accepted by others still resonates.

In the Neighborhood of True
Ruth Robb is a teenager recently relocates from NYC to Atlanta due to her father’s suddenly death. As if that wasn’t hard enough, she is a Jew in the South in the late 1950’s-1960’s, an era where Jews were seen as outsiders. Ruthie’s father used to tell her, “set your watch back thirty years” as they made the trip from NYC to visit the family in Atlanta. Her high society grandmother (a Christian)has told her to keep her Judaism a secret as she tries to navigate private Christian HS, a new friend, and the debutante ball season. Ruth falls in love with Davis Jefferson, but doesn’t reveal her true self to him. She is torn between her life at the temple, “feeling a part of something, instead of apart from everything” and being herself- which her mother and older sister encourage- and her new life passing as a Christian, being part of the popular kids at school. The book reminded me of the white women with all their society rules in The Help. This is a younger version as these are HS girls. This is a compelling and interesting coming of age novel as Ruth is forced to choose between her new life and her authentic self. I thought this was a great HS read. I am not sure if I would get it for my middle school library due to some sexual situations. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to HS level and mature MS level students.

The premise and the plot for this book were really good, and I wanted to like for those reasons. However, stereotyping Southerners doesn't work any better than other biases. I am sure there were (are) people like those pictured in the book, but I grew up in the foothills of Appalachia where my parents and teachers referred to the "Civil War" most often and occasionally to "The War Between the States." There may have been those who called it "The War of Northern Aggression" but not in the circles of my acquaintance.

I also found the characters to be cookie cutter copies of each other. I did not go to private school, but I think even there one would find various degrees of acceptance of a Jewish classmate.

I will not be posting a review on my blog since I only post books that I can recommend whole-heartedly.

IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF TRUE was a compelling read exploring racism, anti-semitism, and the nature of passing in the 1960s south. The protagonist, Ruth Robb, has to negotiate her identity as a Jewish student in a Christian private school, the sort of 'white flight' schools that popped up across the Southeast when Brown v. Board of Education passed. While the books takes time to explore the South's dark underbelly, Ruth is initially enchanted by its charm. Though I was annoyed throughout the book by how much she let's occur unchallenged, Ruth finally gains her teeth in the end. Overall, a really important and enjoyable YA read. The only reason I would hesitate to add it to my classroom library as a middle school teacher is the theme of sexual awakening that functions as a subplot. It is really tastefully done, but probably better suited for older readers.

I loved this book! The full review will be posted soon at kaitgoodwin.com/books! Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity to connect books to their readers!