Who Is Vera Kelly? by Rosalie Knecht

WHO IS VERA KELLY? by Rosalie Knecht has been called a literary spy novel which is an apt description, In fact, Knecht’s intriguing exploration of identity and coming of age mixed with political tension applies to her earlier work, Relief Map, which I also recommend. The setting for WHO IS VERA KELLY? alternates between the late 1950s on the East Coast of the United States and mid-1960s Cold War era in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  As a troubled teen dealing with her father’s death and exploring her own sexual identity, Vera is sent to reform school; less than a decade later she has been recruited to work for the CIA in South America and faces a coup on the near horizon. Knecht’s writing always captures my attention and I am fascinated by the misunderstandings and quick, clever thinking her characters experience. There is a wonderful balance between internal dialogues and action-packed suspense. This cover is fabulous, too, and it’s helping to promote the book – the person in the queue in front of me at the public library was checking it out today. Our copy of WHO IS VERA KELLY? will be on the school library shelves soon.

The Hours Count by Jillian Cantor

Jillian Cantor’s new book, The Hours Count, is a fascinating look at Cold War America from a very personal perspective.  The main character, Millie Stein, is a young, impressionable housewife and a new mother when she meets her neighbor, Ethel Rosenberg, in 1947.  Over the next six years, the women develop a friendship and share child care duties as they try to support each other.

While Julius Rosenberg is portrayed as an attentive and kind father, Millie’s husband, Ed, is cold towards his son David who does not speak and thus has trouble communicating.  Millie, too, is isolated and eventually forms a bond with Dr. Jake Gold who ties to help David. Frankly, Millie’s character was not especially likeable – the poor women seemed overly naive and certainly reflected stereotypes of the time.  For example, she was very dependent on her Russian immigrant husband’s “generosity” for weekly food money and new furniture.

Throughout The Hours Count, there is a melancholy sadness. This is partly because many readers will know that Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were the only American civilians executed for espionage activity during the Cold War, leaving their young sons orphaned in 1953.  The mood of the book is also somber due to the “fear” that seems pervasive and multi-layered: fear of disease (small pox inoculation scene); fear of some mysterious “fog”; fear of the atomic bomb; and fear of Communists; Millie’s fears of loneliness and of her husband. Yes, in the end, there is even fear of the FBI and the American government. The suspense builds and trust teeters as the time for the Rosenbergs' execution approaches.  

The Hours Count received a starred review from Library Journal. For more information, Jillian Canto lists several books which she used in her research on the Rosenbergs, including titles written or edited by their sons: The Rosenberg Letters, An Execution in the Family and We are Your Sons.