Suspect Red

by L.M. Elliott

Overview

It's 1953, and the United States has just executed an American couple convicted of spying for the Soviet Union. Everyone is on edge as the Cold War standoff between communism and democracy leads to the rise of Senator Joe McCarthy and his zealous hunt for people he calls subversives or communist sympathizers. Suspicion, loyalty oaths, blacklists, political profiling, hostility to foreigners, and the assumption of guilt by association divide the nation. Richard and his family believe deeply in American values and love of country, especially since Richard's father works for the FBI. Yet when a family from Czechoslovakia moves in down the street with a son Richard's age named Vlad, their bold ideas about art and politics bring everything into question.

Richard is quickly drawn to Vlad's confidence, musical sensibilities, and passion for literature, which Richard shares. But as the nation's paranoia spirals out of control, Richard longs to prove himself a patriot, and blurred lines between friend and foe could lead to a betrayal that destroys lives.

Punctuated with photos, news headlines, ads, and quotes from the era, this suspenseful and relatable novel by award-winning New York Times best-selling author L.M. Elliott breathes new life into a troubling chapter of our history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781423159834
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	09/18/2018
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	1,079,950
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.90(d)
Lexile:	760L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

L. M. Elliott (www.LMElliott.com) is the author of Under a War-Torn Sky,  a NCSS/CBC Notable Book in Social Studies, Jefferson Cup Honor Book, one of Bank Street College of Education Best Books of the Year, and winner of the Borders’ Original Voices Award, and its companions, A Troubled Peace (also a NCSS/CBC Notable) and Across a War-Tossed Sea (a Jefferson Cup Overfloweth title). Her Suspect Red, exploring the impact of McCarthyism and the 1950s Red Scare, won the Grateful American Book Prize, is a Bank Street College of Education Best Book, a NCSS/CBC Notable, a TXLA Tayshas High School Recommended Reading, and finalist for the PA Young Readers Award. Her recent titles include Walls, a NCSS/CBC Notable, Bank Street College of Education Best Book, and a Kirkus Best 100 YA Books 2021; Hamilton and Peggy!: A Revolutionary Friendship, a Bank Street College of Education Best Book and Grateful American Honor Book; and Louisa June and the Nazis in the Waves.  
 

Editorial Reviews

"A tense, engrossing story that effectively captures the suspicion and paranoia that prevailed during American history's darkest chapters."— Kirkus Reviews

"Elliot does a masterful job of incorporating fictional people into a historical scenario. Even with the heavy historical references and background, the story of Richard and Vlad shines through... Libraries with or without good historical fiction sections will enhance their collection with this selection."— School Library Connection

"This historical novel is filled with Richard's naive, offbeat humor...rich historical setting...Richard's literature-driven ideas...and his rare friendship with Vladimir make his experiences as memorable as they are painful. The book's formatting is integral to its impact. Each chapter begins with red and black graphic art, articles from the era, and primary source photographs. The red pages add to the ominous paranoia presented in the book."— School Library Journal

From the Publisher

09/01/2017
Gr 7–10—This McCarthy-era novel is told in monthly vignettes from June 1953 to June 1954. Richard's father Don works for J. Edgar Hoover's FBI during its frenzy to locate Communist sympathizers. Richard frames life through books—The Catcher in the Rye, Ian Fleming's novels, and other works his mother looks down upon. Richard's poet soul can't help but approve of his new neighbor Vladimir White, a cool cat who reads widely and speaks his mind. Vladimir's Jewish mother Teresa is from Czechoslovakia, and Richard shares information about Teresa with his father. Repercussions from the reports cause a rift between the two friends. Told in third person limited, this historical novel is filled with Richard's naive, offbeat humor. Readers may slow during the protagonist's copious slang, pop culture, and political references but its inclusion makes for a rich historical setting. The author refers to the protagonist's parents by first names, which may seem confusing. Nonetheless, Richard's literature-driven ideas, his awkward intimacy with his sister Ginny, and his rare friendship with Vladimir make his experiences as memorable as they are painful. The book's formatting is integral to its impact. Each chapter begins with red and black graphic art, articles from the era, and primary source photographs. The red pages add to the ominous paranoia presented in the book. An extensive afterword provides additional information on events of the time. Richard's interest in the opposite sex, some language, and his sophisticated morality indicate an upper middle school audience. Pair this with Marc Aronson's Master of Deceit on Hoover for another look at this unsettling epoch. VERDICT A good purchase for curricular tie-ins and fans of historical fiction.—Caitlin Augusta, Stratford Library Association, CT

School Library Journal

2017-07-02
This historical novel revisits the anxious, fearful time of the Cold War, when blacklists, political profiling, and guilt by association ruined the lives of thousands of innocent people and deeply divided the nation.Elliott sets the story in 1953, when the Red Scare is at its peak. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are executed for spying for the Soviet Union, the "Hollywood 10" are sentenced to prison for refusing to name names, and Sen. Joseph McCarthy recklessly exposes people he deems subversives and communist sympathizers. Richard, the teenage son of an FBI agent living in Washington, D.C., belongs to a white family of patriotic true believers in 1950s-era American values. When a family from Czechoslovakia moves in down the street, Richard befriends a son his age named Vlad, who shares his musical tastes and passion for literature. The family's bold, unconventional ideas about art and politics prompt Richard to question many of his preconceived notions about patriotism. When Vlad's father's loyalty is questioned and comes under investigation, Richard is forced to confront his beliefs about friendship and betrayal. Interspersed throughout the narrative are photos, news headlines, ads, quotes, and political cartoons from the era that offer insightful historical context to the story in a documentary style that resembles that of Deborah Wiles' novels Countdown (2010) and Revolution (2014). A tense, engrossing story that effectively captures the suspicion and paranoia that prevailed during American history's darkest chapters. (Historical fiction. 11-14)

Kirkus Reviews