The author, the daughter of radicals, recounts growing up during the McCarthy era, and describes the jailing of her father, the deportation of her mother, and her own struggle for identity
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Sally Belfrage provides a lively portrait of the fifties through teenage eyes. "Engaging, exuberant, witty and touching. . . . Within the young girl who strove to be as normal as Velveeta Cheese was the angry, skeptical soul of a rebel."--Washington Post Book World
A roller coaster memory ride through the McCarthy era. The author's British-born parents were briefly Communists in the late '30s; her father remained a fellow traveler during the period chronicled here (the '50s), though her mother dropped out of politics when the couple split up after WW II. In reliving her teenage years, Belfrage (who died last month) focuses on her quest to renounce her family and become an ``all-American girl.'' The quest seems quixotic for someone whose father is being trailed by the FBI and whose hysterical mother threatens to jump out the window when Belfrage tries to borrow her best black dress, ironic for a blond ``shiksa'' among the Jewish students at the Bronx High School of Science. Inevitably, it goes awry, sometimes comically (she mistakes her classmates, brainy offspring of refugees from Hitler, for all-American kids), and sometimes painfully. She is torn between her consciousness of America's hypocrisy and shame over her ``un-American'' father and a mother who is a disastrous failure as a homemaker. She tries to bury her conflict by dating Dan, a (Jewish) West Point cadet. Belfrage (Living in War, 1987) writes from the perspective of her teenage self, which fuels the story with the energy and righteous anger of adolescence--but also with its self-absorbed one-sidedness. Her mother, for instance, gets little credit for supporting two children and maintaining a career against overwhelming odds. Only the epilogue, which revisits her parents and Dan decades later, exhibits the emotional density that comes with age. Belfrage is at her best when highlighting the daily travesties that red-baiting created: teachers grading her based on their political sympathies or fears; the government's unavailing attempt to get Molly Belfrage to testify against her ex- husband and eventual decision to deport them both. A spirited but myopic account of an adolescence that was both anomalous and all too American. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
FREE
Within U.S.A.
Shipping:
US$ 5.00
Within U.S.A.
Seller: Wonder Book, Frederick, MD, U.S.A.
Condition: Very Good. Very Good condition. Very Good dust jacket. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain light spine creasing or a few markings such as an owner's name, short gifter's inscription or light stamp. Seller Inventory # Q20S-01124
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Condition: As New. Used book that is in almost brand-new condition. Seller Inventory # 41316821-6
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # 41166348-6
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: SecondSale, Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. Item in very good condition! Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00074238503
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.5. Seller Inventory # G0060190000I4N00
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.05. Seller Inventory # G0060190000I4N00
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Reno, Reno, NV, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.5. Seller Inventory # G0060190000I4N00
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Missing dust jacket; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.05. Seller Inventory # G0060190000I3N01
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Half Price Books Inc., Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!. Seller Inventory # S_379905982
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: A Good Read, LLC, San Antonio, TX, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good +. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good +. First Edition. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Minor crease onback bottom edge of dj. Seller Inventory # 007500
Quantity: 1 available