Out of the Easy (346 Pages)

Those of you who enjoyed Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys may enjoy her latest book. "The Easy" mentioned in the title is, of course, New Orleans. The book is set here in the 1950's, and New Orleans is a wild and wicked place. Josie Moraine is a delightful 17 year old, who has a mother that should never have been allowed to bear a child. Josie's mother is a prostitute, but that isn't what makes her so terrible. She is absolutely amoral to the point of stealing from her daughter! Josie has lived by herself in the back upstairs of a book shop since she was very young. She leaves every morning to go clean the brothel, run by a madam (Willie) who actually looks out for her and is more of a mother than her own could ever be. One morning, Josie finds something under her mother's bed, and although she usually reports and brings anything she finds to Willie, this time she doesn't. The reason why involves the mob, the police, and her decision. This is a mystery, and it is about the decisions we make, and the decisions we don't make. AND, despite the setting- there is NO sex in the book! I always have told my students that the decisions you make to do something,  and the decisions you make not to do something, both effect your life!