There are moments in life where books allow us to connect moments of history to pieces that might have been left unheard, highlight multiple voices, and struggles between right and wrong. In the Neighborhood of True is one of those books.

Synopsis: (From the back cover!)

“After her father’s death, Ruth Robb and her family move from New York City to Atlanta in the summer of 1958. In the land of debutantes, sweet tea, and the Ku Klux Klan, Ruth quickly figures out she can be Jewish or she can be popular, but she can’t be both, so she decides to hide her religion. Before she knows it, Ruth is falling for the handsome and charming Davis and sipping cokes with him and his friends at the all-white, all-Christian Club.

It doesn’t matter that Ruth’s mother makes her go to synagogue every Saturday – as long as her friends don’t find out. Then at temple Ruth meets Max, who is serious and intense about the fight for civil rights and social justice, and now she is caught between two worlds, two religions, and two boys.

But lies can’t last forever, and violence is brewing. Soon Ruth will have to choose between all she loves about her new life and standing up for what she really believes.”

Review: Throughout our lives, many of us learn the hard way the difference between right and wrong, whether it be in large or small doses. When those lines become crossed and confusing is when we have to really figure out what it is we want to stand for.

Ruth is a very interesting character. The book is told solely from her perspective and really helps to highlight the struggles of a teenage girl during this time. Watching the transformation of Ruth from beginning to end was heart warming.

I loved that Susan Kaplan Carlton created strong characters with beliefs, struggles, and pain. It really helped define and exemplify the role of those characters in a realistic way. They were able to learn along the way about themselves and the situations around them.

The writing in this book is easy to sit down and enjoy. It is a young adult book with strong coming-of-age themes, but would easily be enjoyed by any age level. The language is smooth and descriptive and allowed for a great quick read.

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Thank you Algonquin Books, Algonquin Young Readers, and Susan Kaplan Carlton for the paperback copy of this book and the opportunity to participate in a BOOK TOUR for the rerelease.

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Let me know what you thought of this book or if you think you might pick up a copy for yourself!

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Happy reading!