Out+of+the+Easy



//Out of the Easy// by Ruta Sepetys

I loved her Between Shades of Gray. This is a good read, too, and it certainly portrays New Orleans in the 1050s. Josie is a great character. Are we concerned about the brothel aspects? That doesn't bother me, but I don't know if there are others who are concerned. - Kelly Budd, Keene High School

This was good, but I didn't love it. It's definitely a time and place I hadn't read about before, which is a plus. It's also historical fiction written at an accessible level for most high school students. (Some previous choices have been a stretch for freshmen) Personally, the brothel aspect didn't bother me--I don't recall anything gratuitous, but it is clear that the women have sex for money. I would vote to keep it on the list unless another, stronger HF title comes along. Kathy Pearce, Oyster River HS

I agree that the book explored a time and place that hasn't been done to death, and I did really like Josie and root for her, but other books have done more for me. The brothel setting didn't really bother me -there was much less sex in the book than many YA books, and it was sort of nice to see the oldest profession portrayed as a business as well as a moral choice, and to see how Josie was involved, yet separate. I'm not sure that this has a lot of teen appeal, especially for boys, but I don't think any teen who reads it would be truly disappointed. -Kirsten Rundquist Corbett, Sandown Public Library

This is the type of book that it's hard to be objective about if you read and loved 'Between Shades of Gray' Sepetys' first novel. I am also not sure if it will be more appealing to adults rather than teens. With that being said, I give this a solid 4/5 stars and a recommendation for the 2014 Flume list.

I was thankful for a historical fiction book about something unusual-- life in New Orleans in the 1950s by a young adult whose mother is a prostitute. Jo wanted to get Out of the Easy. I wanted her to get out as well. This is why I kept reading, to see if she could make her dreams reality. I do think there is something very good about this writer that makes me keep on with hope when I read her despite her topics seeming bleak. Throw in a little murder mystery and a little coming of age and you've got a very good read. ~Kathy Watson, Kimball Library (Atkinson)