Fletcher, Christine. Ten Cents a Dance. New York, New York: Bloomsbury USA, 2008.
356 pages 978-1-59990-164-0 $16.95
Genre: Historical Fiction, coming of age
Awards:
Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults American Library Association Blue Ribbon
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Jefferson Cup Honor Book
Virginia Library Association Finalist
2008 Cybils Award for Young Adult Fiction
In Chicago 1941, there is not much opportunity for a young Polish-American girl responsible for her infirmed mother and younger sister. Life seems limited to packing pigs feet with brine until she -like her mother- becomes too broken to work when fatefully Ruby meets her first love. Paulie. The handsome neighborhood bad boy, tells her about the dance halls where men willingly pay to dance with you. Ruby grabs this opportunity only to quickly sink into this new world of taxi dancers. Her resulting struggle to escape from it is a memorable and read-worthy journey.
Perhaps the biggest failing of this book is that it is very easy to forget just how incredibly amazing and likeable Ruby Jacinski's character is. She doesn’t whine or garner sympathy even when her life is at its lowest ebb. She continually does her best despite the consequences and while her choices make for a good story her motivations are sincere. This book is certainly recommended for its historical perspective of the US during the cusp of war - especially in regards to Jazz and prevalent attitudes and concerns of the time - and subsequential linguist jargon but mostly for its strong characterization and unique coming-of-age plot.
Read excerpts and more from the author's website.
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