Book Review: Chasing the Red Car

Chasing the Red Car, by Ellen Ruderman

Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: iUniverse.com (November 8, 2010)
ISBN-10: 1450267181
Rating (1 to 5 *): ****



Join us on November 30, 2011 at 3:30PT when I interview Ellen Ruderman on the A Cup of Coffee and a Good Book BlogTalkRadio show!



Chasing the Red Car Book Review


Kim LeBow grows up in a very scary time, an age when McCarthyism is in full force and threatening many people she cares about, including her father and her favorite teacher at school. Her home life is scary too, with a mother who is emotionally unstable and a father who often disappears with no explanation.

Chasing the Red Car follows Kim through her life, from growing up in the McCarthy era, through college, and later as an educator. It comes full circle after 9/11, when the Patriot Act brought some questionable policies. She struggles with her conviction to voice her own views and beliefs when those in authority tell her not to. Yet, her father taught her to stand up for what she believes in, and she does.

Chasing the Red Car was an entertaining and thought-provoking read. Although I am not liberal, I thought it would be interesting to see that side of the story set in such a volatile time. It was enlightening to see the way the witch hunts of the time affected not only the communists who were flushed out, but those around them as well. (ETA: Just to be clear, I am not in favor of how things were handled at that time.)

Ellen Ruderman's characters were realistic, and there was an interesting balance between the different personality types. I found the timeline a little difficult to follow at times when flashbacks were mixed in with the story. Also, Kim mentioned "my beliefs" many times--to the point of being repetitive--without ever really saying what those were except for a couple of vague comments about human rights. I would have liked to have seen how such a young girl came by whatever her beliefs were and a little discussion of what was so radical. However, I can guess that since that wasn't really the point of the book, the author wanted to focus more on the feelings and emotions of this coming of age story. All in all, I enjoyed the book and found it to be a good commentary on how politics affect us all.

Join us on November 30, 2011 at 3:30PT when I interview Ellen Ruderman on the A Cup of Coffee and a Good Book BlogTalkRadio show!