Suspect Red
Suspect Red is the perfect example of historical fiction. This novel by L. M. Elliott has the perfect balance of research and speculation. Adding to the tension are pictures and facts from the time period that are from the story. Nothing else can drop you into the paranoia of the Cold War faster than seeing the smiling Rosenberg children as they leave their parents in prison. Only for their parents to be executed for espionage on behalf of the Soviet Union.
So you should know that this book isn’t light hearted. This is serious subject matter and that example starts off the book. We see a perfectly normal family eating their breakfast. Only to learn that Richard’s dad is one of the ‘G-men’ who works for the FBI. They get weird looks when his boss, J. Edgar Hoover drops by to chat.
The Best Summer Is Spent Reading
Richard just wants to have a good summer reading the best books. Except attitudes have shifted, so Richard finds himself growing suspicious as well. The news and his parents are against the Reds. His dad really needs to close a good case. When his new best friend and his family seem to fit all of the red flags, he wonders what he should do. Should he report their suspicious red leaning behaviors?
Richard struggles to understand what is more important, loyalty to his country or to his friends. This is certainly a great example of the conflict during the Cold War. The tensions and stakes are higher as Richard’s dad works directly for J. Edgar Hoover. As a family that lives right in the heart of suspicion, Suspect Red paints the picture of what life would have been like as everyone spots “Red” behavior. So, I highly recommend this to any one studying the Cold War.
Disney Hyperion has even more great titles. We had a full stack of good stories. When you need a good read for any age group, then you can find a new story between these pages.
