Young Adult Book Reviews

In 1956, Marion Brooks is a dance teacher living with her sister and father in New York City. When she is unceremoniously fired for allowing her young students to have a little fun in their ballet class and her long time boyfriend indicates that he is planning to propose, she decides she wants to do something daring to feel like she has some control over her life. So, she goes to an open call for auditions to be a Rockette. Surprising even herself, she makes it to the final round and is chosen to be a Rockette dancer. Her father is not supportive, however, and believes that she needs to get married and settle down so that he doesn’t need to worry about her anymore. She disobeys and moves to a boarding house that is just for young ladies either working on Broadway or trying to get hired to be a performer of some kind. She finds the Rockette practices challenging because they require such uniformity, but she knows she can do this and she believes her mother, who died when she was young, would’ve wanted her to follow her dreams. Meanwhile, a serial bomber has been terrorizing the city for years and the police seem no closer to catching this person. When a bomb goes off in Radio City Music Hall, she meets a young doctor who has been working on a new brand of science: profiling. She believes that if they work together they might be able to find the bomber, but can they do it without becoming targets themselves?

This historical fiction book follows an intriguing time period in 1950s New York where women’s paths were beginning to have more avenues, but there were still a lot of traditional expectations placed on them. Marion’s dad does not like the idea of women working in any field except as a secretary, teacher, or nurse. Therefore, he feels Marion getting a job as a dancer is ridiculous and unnecessary when she could just get married. It’s very interesting to watch these young women try to push the boundaries of what is appropriate for them in this time period, while also wanting to stay safe and respected. Marion has to choose between a safe path and a more adventurous one and she chooses the latter, even if that means she might find herself in the bomber’s path and without familial support. Recommended for anyone who enjoys books about unique settings and time periods in history.