Itโs 1953, and the United States has just executed an American couple convicted of spying for the Soviet Union. Everyone is on edge as the Cold War standoff between communism and democracy leads to the rise of Senator Joe McCarthy and his zealous hunt for people he calls subversives or communist sympathizers. Suspicion, loyalty oaths, blacklists, political profiling, hostility to foreigners, and the assumption of guilt by association divide the nation. Richard and his family believe deeply in American values and love of country, especially since Richardโs father works for the FBI. Yet when a family from Czechoslovakia moves in down the street with a son Richardโs age named Vlad, their bold ideas about art and politics bring everything into question.
Richard is quickly drawn to Vladโs confidence, musical sensibilities, and passion for literature, which he shares. But as the nationโs paranoia spirals out of control, Richard longs to prove himself a patriot, and blurred lines between friend and foe could lead to a betrayal that destroys lives.
L. M. Elliott (www.LMElliott.com) was a Washington-based journalist for almost twenty years, and twice a National Magazine Award finalist before becoming a novelist. She is the author of Under a War-Torn Skyโan NCSS/CBC Notable Book in Social Studies, Jefferson Cup Honor Book, one of Bank Street College of Educationโs Best Childrenโs Books of the Year, and winner of the Borders Original Voices Awardโand its companions, A Troubled Peace (also an NCSS/CBC Notable) and Across a War-Tossed Sea (a Jefferson Cup Overfloweth title). Her other books include Annie, between the States, a New York Times Young Adult E-Book Bestseller, an IRA Teacherโs Choice, and an NYPL Book for the Teen Age; Da Vinciโs Tiger; and Give Me Liberty.
AudioFile Earphones Award winner Elizabeth Wiley is a seasoned actor, dialect coach, theater professor, and dedicated narrator. In addition to her growing portfolio of audiobooks, her voice can be heard in The Idea of America, Colonial Williamsburg's virtual learning curriculum; in Paul Meier's e-textbook Speaking Shakespeare; and modeling U.S.-English on one of the world's top language learning products.