RED MENACE

Marty tries to overcome his fears by withdrawing into his love for the Yankees, listening to the games, quoting statistics, and writing memos, never sent, to his hero, Mickey Mantle.

And there is much to fear in 1953 during the months leading up to the imminent execution of accused spies Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Marty’s professor parents have refused to sign loyalty oaths and are suspected of being Communists planning to overthrow the government. The FBI watches day and night, their mail and trash are searched, and their home is bugged. His friend Amy Lynn is in the same situation. Could they lose their parents like the Rosenberg children? Friends turn away, Marty is thrown off his baseball team, his friend Connor’s father forces them apart, and his mom and Amy Lynn’s dad are suspended and later fired from their positions. The FBI threatens his mom with deportation, claiming she isn’t a citizen. She is able to provide evidence to the contrary and is dismissed from the hearings, but the Rosenbergs can’t be saved. Speaking through Marty’s parents, Ruby demonstrates the escalating terrors endured by people caught up in the destructive McCarthy era, stopping just short of a dispiriting harangue. Marty is thoroughly endearing; he is resourceful, knows his weaknesses, endearingly dislikes studying for his bar mitzvah, and is a kind, caring friend. He narrates his own story, careening among fear, anger, bewilderment, and hope.

Readers will root for the protagonist as hard as he roots for his Yankees.