Commie Pinko
| Modern Age |
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 Commie Pinko
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It’s 1958, the Cold War is on, and McCarthyism causes ordinary citizens to be suspected of treason. In Berkeley, California, fourteen-year-old Donna is happily organizing the Ritchie Valens fan club, when her father, a physics professor at the University of California, comes under investigation by the FBI. Her rebellious older sister, Alice, joins a group of beatniks before she is mysteriously whisked away from the family. Meanwhile, the sisters’ mother suffers a nervous breakdown and must be hospitalized. It is up to Donna to find Alice and to defend her father when he faces possible arrest. On May 13, 1960, at the San Francisco House Un-American Activities Committee hearing, Donna is caught between angry demonstrators and militant police in a dangerous conflict that ignites a decade of protest.
Emily's Review
I picked this up on a whim, mainly because it was YA based on a historical period (the 1950s and McCarthyism) that I had never read anything about. I really enjoyed reading it. This story centers around a 14-year-old girl named Donna and her family. Her father is a physics professor at Berkley and he is accused of being a communist, which causes problems for the whole family. It was a very interesting and engaging read and my only complaint is that I wish it was longer. I loved the 1950s slang and music references, it made the story feel very authentic. The best part, in my opinion, was reading about the mother's mental health issues and how they were treated, as well as the way unwed teenage mothers were treated.
Other Similar Books
Other suggestions on the subject of McCarthyism and the Red Scare.
- Red Scare: A Graphic Novel (by: Walsh, Liam Francis, UMG, YA)
- Commie Pinko (by: Nichols Lynch, Janet, YA)
- Last Night at the Telegraph Club (by: Nichols Lo, Malinda, YA, A)
- Lavender House (by: Rosen, Lev AC, YA, A)
Other suggestions on the subject of the Cold War.
- What Fell From the Sky (by: Cuevas, Adrianna, United States, MG)
- Red Scare: A Graphic Novel (by: Walsh, Liam Francis, United States, UMG, YA)
- A Night Divided (by: Nielson, Jennifer A., East Germany, UMG)
- The Story That Cannot Be Told (by: Kramer, J. Kasper, Romania, UMG)
- Last Night at the Telegraph Club (by: Nichols Lo, Malinda, United States, YA, A)
- The Witch Who Came in from the Cold (by: Smith, Lindsay, Czechoslovakia, YA)
- Commie Pinko (by: Nichols Lynch, Janet, United States, YA)
- Sekret (by: Smith, Lindsay, Soviet Union, YA)
- Lavender House (by: Rosen, Lev AC, United States, YA, A)
- Skandal (by: Smith, Lindsay, Soviet Union, United States, YA)
- Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown (by: Sheinkin, Steve, United States, YA)
- I Must Betray You (by: Sepetys, Ruta, Romania, YA, A)
- The Berlin Letters (by: Reay, Katherine, Germany, United States, A)