In the Neighborhood of True by Susan K Carlton, Susan Kaplan Carlton

In the Neighborhood of True

by Susan K Carlton and Susan Kaplan Carlton

A powerful story of love, identity, and the price of fitting in or speaking out.

“The story may be set in the past, but it couldn’t be a more timely reminder that true courage comes not from fitting in, but from purposefully standing out . . . and that to find out who you really are, you have to first figure out what you’re not.” —Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author of A Spark of Light and Small Great Things

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.
 

Reviewed by Sam@WLABB on

4 of 5 stars

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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 part 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 competently brought me back to that time. From the hair to the music to the lingo, I felt very immersed in the era. 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.

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

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 13 March, 2019: Finished reading
  • 13 March, 2019: Reviewed