Review of Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

Sepetys, Ruta.  Out of the Easy.  Philomel, 2013.

Josie Moraine, the seventeen-year-old daughter of a prostitute, lives in Charlie Marlowe’s bookstore, where she also works, in the New Orleans French Quarter.  Josie’s mother, Louise, has never been a maternal figure, instead preferring the company of men to that of her daughter.  Josie has had to grow up fast; she learned to make martinis when she was seven years old.   By age eleven, she had found a home at the bookstore, while her mother lived at Willie Woodley’s New Orleans brothel and kept company with Cincinnati, a known associate of Carlos Marcello, the godfather of the New Orleans mafia.

Josie longs to leave New Orleans and her past life behind.  When she and Patrick, Charlie’s son, meet Charlotte Gates, Josie sees her chance to get out of New Orleans.  She applies to Smith College in Northampton, MA, where Charlotte is a student.  Unfortunately, getting out of New Orleans is not easy.  It seems that at every turn, Josie’s mother is there trying to pull Josie down to her level.  Cincinnati is always nipping at Josie’s heels, and people assume she will turn out just like her mother.

Thank goodness Josie has friends that take an interest in her and care about her.  From Cokie, the cab driver, to Willie, the brothel madam, to the prostitutes that work for Willie, and Jesse, the flower salesman---they all want protect her and help her to succeed in life.

When a murder happens to a visitor in the French Quarter, Josie feels that it is not a heart attack, like the coroner has ruled.  She tries to hide evidence while she figures out the mystery but becomes a victim, herself.  Now that her admittance to Smith and her tuition is in jeopardy, how will she ever find a way to leave New Orleans?

This historical fiction novel was just delightful!  The story is built around the book’s characters and the culture of New Orleans.  I loved the way that the French Quarter life and its historical figures were woven into the plot.  Ruta Septetys has a real gift with her ability to paint vivid pictures with descriptive words.  What a great idea it is to have a bookstore as a main setting and safe haven in this story!

Dora, Evangeline, and Sweety—Willie’s “girls” are strong female characters, despite the fact that they are “working girls”.  In fact, all the female characters in the book are strong, with the exception of Louise, Josie’s mother.  Who in the world would even think of naming her daughter for a madam, even if she is the “classiest madam in Storyville”?  Josie calls Willie her “wicked stepmother with a heart of gold”, and she truly is much more of a mother figure to Josie than Louise ever has been.

Anyone who is a fan of historical fiction or loves a good mystery will enjoy this novel.  I highly recommend it to high school and public libraries.

Review of The Final Four by Paul Volponi

The Final Four by Paul Volponi; Penguin, 2012

Four collegiate basketball players on two different teams share a common goal—to make it to the finals of the NCAA basketball tournament and, ultimately, to win the coveted title.  Playing for the Michigan State Spartans, Malcolm “One and Done” McBride hopes to be drafted into the NBA after only one year of college.  It is only because of an NBA rule stating that players cannot enter into the draft directly from high school that he is playing college ball at all.  His hapless teammate, Michael “MJ” Jordan, is named for the most famous player to ever grace the game by his late father, who was a big fan.  However, MJ cannot fill his namesake’s shoes, nor is his idol “Air Jordan”.  The Spartans are also joined by John “Grizzly Bear” Cousins and DeJuan “Baby Bear” Wilkins, two huge centers who have talent of their own.

This year’s “Cinderella Team” hails from Troy, Alabama—the Troy University Trojans.  Their star player, Roco “Red Bull” Bacic, has had a hard life, growing up in Croatia and is grateful to be able to attend college and play ball in the United States.  Playing alongside him is Crispin “Snap-Crackle-Pop” Rice, the biggest guy on the team, whose heart belongs to Troy cheerleader Hope Daniels, whom the media has dubbed “Hope of Troy”.  Roko and Crispin are joined by fellow player Aaron Boyce, whose family lived through Hurricane Katrina when it hit New Orleans.

Waiting in the wings for the second game of the final four, are the teams from North Carolina and Duke.  Join them as they wait through four tense overtime periods played by the Spartans and the Trojans to learn who their opponent will be in NCAA semifinal game at the Louisiana Superdome!

Final Four opens with the end of regulation play as the game is tied at the buzzer.  Both teams from Michigan State and Troy are exhausted, as the game has been extremely taxing, both physically and mentally.  The coaches from the teams are trying their best to rally their players and figure out a game plan to win and make it to the end of the game. 

Each chapter opens with a quote about basketball and life, in general, from various celebrities, mostly coaches and players—LeBron James, Bill Walton, and “Pistol Pete” Maravich—among others.  There is fantastic play-by-play action woven into the plot, as well as media releases thrown into the story.  Newspaper articles, flashbacks, and live radio broadcast scripts tell most of the back story of the players’ lives, leading up to the game. A possible NCAA scandal is added into the mix, which only serves to thicken the plot! 

Although Malcolm and Roco have both had hard young lives, it is Roco, who has grown up in war-torn Croatia, who remains a true optimist, despite all he has witnessed and been through in his country.  Both basketball and the opportunity to receive a college education bring him true joy!  Malcolm, on the other hand, has a huge chip on his shoulder.  He resents being forced to play college ball just to become eligible for the NBA draft, and he feels that the NCAA is profiting off the backs of college players.  He is not shy about making his feelings known, even to the media!  Malcolm is not a team player because there is no “I” in team!

There are a number of slang terms used—kicks, scratcher, crew—that I was unfamiliar with and had to research for meaning.  There are also excerpts of Roco’s diary, which he begins as a young boy and continues through college, in his own handwriting, which give readers a first-hand look into his life.  Readers can also see him mature through his writing process.

The cover art gives the reader a true feel for what is in store for him if he opens the book.  The Final Four is a great guy book, but any basketball fan would enjoy this “Trojan War”!  I recommend it for high school and public libraries.

Review for In Too Deep by Amanda Grace

Grace, Amanda.  In Too Deep.  Flux, 2012.

All Sam Marshall wants is for  Nick Davis, her best friend since forever, to notice her.   She wants him to think of her as more than a friend.  So she dresses up in a mini-skirt and heels for a party and tries to make Nick jealous by throwing herself at Carter Wellesley, the most popular and most athletic boy at Mossy Rock High School.   Instead of welcoming her into his bedroom, Carter insults her and sends her crying out into the hall.  Sam has already had too much to drink, so she doesn't think anything of it when Michelle Pattison asks her if she's ok.  When she gets to school, Sam doesn't know why people keep staring and whispering about her.  It's not until later that she discovers that her classmates think that she was raped by Carter.  She cannot believe it, but she doesn't deny it, either.  When she tells girls in her class that nothing happened, they want her to pretend until the school year is over.  In her wildest dreams, she never thinks about how this will affect Carter, his family, and Nick.  And when she does think about it, it's gone too far and she doesn't know how to get out of it.  On top of all this, her father, the chief of police in Mossy Rock, is still trying to control her life.  How can she gracefully get out of this terrible situation, continue to have a relationship with Nick, and find a way to go away to college?

In Too Deep is a fabulous read, filled with emotion and a girl's hopes and dreams.  Sam, the main character, has deep self-esteem issues.  She was been raised by a father who she thinks doesn't love or care about her.  Her mother is long-gone, and her father seems to care more about work and controlling Sam's decisions than her well-being.  Nick, who has been her best friend forever, is liked by everyone.  He has an on-again/off-again relationship with a girl named Reyna, but is actually in love with Sam.  Both of the main characters were extremely well-developed and very likable.  Carter Wellesley, on the other hand, is the star athlete and golden boy, but is also a jerk and a womanizer.  It is all too easy for people to believe that he raped Sam, and it spreads throughout the school and the town like wildfire.  However, I find it strange that her father, the chief of police in an extremely small town, did not hear this rumor until it was too late!  He seemed to know everything else that was going on in his daughter's life!

There were so many themes going on in this novel--gossip, small-town life, where everyone knows everyone, budding romance, underage drinking and partying, peer pressure, and father-daughter relationships.  The humiliation, embarrassment, and rejection that Sam feels is real, as is the hopelessness and helplessness of her situation that she unwittingly, and then just as willingly, creates.

This novel is a real page-turner!  I recommend In Too Deep for high school and public libraries!

**Note:  The book reviewed was an advanced reader's copy received from Library Media Connection in exchange for an honest review.