A review by sonia_reppe
Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher
5.0
Bad boys and secrets are both hard to keep...So it says on the cover of this coming-of-age novel set in the early 1940's. When her mother loses her job due to arthritis, Ruby Jacinski drops out of school to work in the Chicago stockyards. (Do I need to explain that this is dirty, smelly work?) Soon she is saved from this when she gets a job at the Starlight dance "school" as a taxi-dancer, dancing with men for ten cents a dance. Suddenly her work involves ball gowns and music and it seems life can be easy if you're a pretty girl...
This book is exciting and glamorous, but also realistic. With this new life of stockings and make-up comes new grown-up problems, including a stalker who wants more than just a dance; and competing with the other girls for tips when some of these experienced girls are ruthless hustlers. On top of this, Ruby is keeping this job a secret from her mother, telling her she is a phone operator instead, because her mother wouldn't approve. Her mother also forbids her to talk to this boy from the neighborhood who has a bad reputation. Well, Ruby can't help falling in love with him...
So some would say this book is about growing up too fast. I would say this is about growing up, having to make moral choices, dealing with your conscience, and questioning what is right or wrong. War and racism provide some of the background of this book which is a vivid glimpse into 1940's America. This book is five stars because I felt very close to the protagonist, like I was experiencing new things with her. (Some parts even gave me chills). If you know me, you know that this is the kind of coming-of-age journey that I love!
This book is exciting and glamorous, but also realistic. With this new life of stockings and make-up comes new grown-up problems, including a stalker who wants more than just a dance; and competing with the other girls for tips when some of these experienced girls are ruthless hustlers. On top of this, Ruby is keeping this job a secret from her mother, telling her she is a phone operator instead, because her mother wouldn't approve. Her mother also forbids her to talk to this boy from the neighborhood who has a bad reputation. Well, Ruby can't help falling in love with him...
So some would say this book is about growing up too fast. I would say this is about growing up, having to make moral choices, dealing with your conscience, and questioning what is right or wrong. War and racism provide some of the background of this book which is a vivid glimpse into 1940's America. This book is five stars because I felt very close to the protagonist, like I was experiencing new things with her. (Some parts even gave me chills). If you know me, you know that this is the kind of coming-of-age journey that I love!