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The Gordon Family Saga #2
White Sands, Red Menace
It is 1946. World War II is over—ended by the atomic bomb that Dewey Kerrigan's and Suze Gordon's scientist parents helped build. Dewey's been living with the Gordons since before the war's end, before her father died, moving south with them to Alamogordo, New Mexico. At the White Sands Missile Range, Phil Gordon is working on rockets that will someday go to the moon; at home, Terry Gordon is part of the scientists' movement against the Bomb. Dewey and Suze have conflicts of their own. Where does a girl who likes physics and math fit in? How do you know the right time to speak up and the right time to keep your head down? And, most important of all: What defines a family?
344 pages, Hardcover
First published October 2, 2008
46 people are currently reading
1087 people want to read
About the author
Ellen Klages
74 books244 followersEllen Klages was born in Ohio, and now lives in San Francisco.
Her short fiction has appeared in science fiction and fantasy anthologies and magazines, both online and in print, including The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Black Gate, and Firebirds Rising. Her story, "Basement Magic," won the Best Novelette Nebula Award in 2005. Several of her other stories have been on the final ballot for the Nebula and Hugo Awards, and have been reprinted in various Year’s Best volumes.
She was a finalist for the John W. Campbell Award, and is a graduate of the Clarion South writing workshop.
Her first novel The Green Glass Sea, about two misfit eleven-year-old girls living in Los Alamos during WWII, while their parents are creating the atomic bomb, came out in October 2006 from Sharyn November at Viking. Ellen is working on a sequel.
She has also written four books of hands-on science activities for children (with Pat Murphy, et al.) for the Exploratorium museum in San Francisco.
In addition to her writing, she serves on the Motherboard of the James Tiptree, Jr. Award, and is somewhat notorious as the auctioneer/entertainment for the Tiptree auctions at Wiscon.
When she's not writing fiction, she sells old toys and magazines on eBay, and collects lead civilians.
from ellenklages.com
Her short fiction has appeared in science fiction and fantasy anthologies and magazines, both online and in print, including The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Black Gate, and Firebirds Rising. Her story, "Basement Magic," won the Best Novelette Nebula Award in 2005. Several of her other stories have been on the final ballot for the Nebula and Hugo Awards, and have been reprinted in various Year’s Best volumes.
She was a finalist for the John W. Campbell Award, and is a graduate of the Clarion South writing workshop.
Her first novel The Green Glass Sea, about two misfit eleven-year-old girls living in Los Alamos during WWII, while their parents are creating the atomic bomb, came out in October 2006 from Sharyn November at Viking. Ellen is working on a sequel.
She has also written four books of hands-on science activities for children (with Pat Murphy, et al.) for the Exploratorium museum in San Francisco.
In addition to her writing, she serves on the Motherboard of the James Tiptree, Jr. Award, and is somewhat notorious as the auctioneer/entertainment for the Tiptree auctions at Wiscon.
When she's not writing fiction, she sells old toys and magazines on eBay, and collects lead civilians.
from ellenklages.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 235 reviews
October 9, 2011
While not quite as brilliantly wonderful as the first book, it’s still quite enjoyable to spend time with these people, and it grew on me more & more; by the end it felt like a solid 4 star book. For awhile I vacillated between 3, 3 ½ or 4 stars, but it ended up a full 4 stars for me.
Terry Gordon and her activism (against the bomb) (and smoking and social drinking) reminded me a bit of my mother. (In the early 60s at a family cabin camp we were told to collect and turn in material that I guess could be used to make nuclear weapons: my mother collected as much as she saw and didn’t turn in any of it.)
The events that unfold happen several years before my time/nearly a decade before I have many memories, but certain things brought back my own memories of my youth, particularly some of the pop culture and some of the foods.
Smoking not just in the house with kids, but smoking and (light) drinking while pregnant, and no problem. Ah, the overrated 40s, and 50s too. (My mother also smoked during her pregnancy, and while I was young we had ashtrays all over the house, by then for company as my mother gave up smoking in about 1955.)
Oh, the man who discovered Pluto (as a planet!) is mentioned. That brought up feelings as I still mourn the loss of Pluto’s status.
I wish the section and chapter titles had been listed in the front of the book, for second, third, etc. perusals.
I love how things feel so real, including how not everything is wrapped up in a neat little package at the end. Some things are resolved but much is left hanging, and that made it feel like real life, and for me made the story more enjoyable.
This book is a very worthy sequel, as it turns out. The story also could also work fine as a standalone book but I highly, highly recommend reading the first book, The Green Glass Sea, before reading this one.
Terry Gordon and her activism (against the bomb) (and smoking and social drinking) reminded me a bit of my mother. (In the early 60s at a family cabin camp we were told to collect and turn in material that I guess could be used to make nuclear weapons: my mother collected as much as she saw and didn’t turn in any of it.)
The events that unfold happen several years before my time/nearly a decade before I have many memories, but certain things brought back my own memories of my youth, particularly some of the pop culture and some of the foods.
Smoking not just in the house with kids, but smoking and (light) drinking while pregnant, and no problem. Ah, the overrated 40s, and 50s too. (My mother also smoked during her pregnancy, and while I was young we had ashtrays all over the house, by then for company as my mother gave up smoking in about 1955.)
Oh, the man who discovered Pluto (as a planet!) is mentioned. That brought up feelings as I still mourn the loss of Pluto’s status.
I wish the section and chapter titles had been listed in the front of the book, for second, third, etc. perusals.
I love how things feel so real, including how not everything is wrapped up in a neat little package at the end. Some things are resolved but much is left hanging, and that made it feel like real life, and for me made the story more enjoyable.
This book is a very worthy sequel, as it turns out. The story also could also work fine as a standalone book but I highly, highly recommend reading the first book, The Green Glass Sea, before reading this one.
March 30, 2024
This is a continuation of the story of the Gordons, a husband and wife who worked on the development of the atomic bomb under the direction of Oppenheimer, their daughter Suze, and (sort of) adopted daughter Dewey. It's set in the post-war late 1940s, before the familiar '50s Eisenhower era, an interesting and often neglected part of American history. It's set in Alamogordo, New Mexico, where Philip Gordon is working on rocket ships, his wife is working to outlaw atomic weaponry, and Suze and Dewey are learning hard lessons about sexism and racism and encountering hard questions such as the ethical implications of sharing a holiday meal with a man who helped produce V2 missiles with slave labor. I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the first book, The Green Glass Sea, partly because of the lack of famous historical figures and probably partially because the novelty had worn off, but it's still a wonderfully educational and thoughtful look at a vital time in world history, and a terrific story about interesting characters to boot.
April 1, 2022
Another Good One
Ellen Klages’ second book in the series continues the story with tremendous success.
It is an almost seamless transition from book 1 to book 2.
I really enjoyed this book.
Ellen Klages’ second book in the series continues the story with tremendous success.
It is an almost seamless transition from book 1 to book 2.
I really enjoyed this book.
Read
October 19, 2014This is a middle grade historical novel. It is also a critique of the present day adult science fiction genre and its love affair with the space program--and the tension between the optimism fans of the genre claim to long for more of today and the troubling and not always optimistic origins of the things at the core of that optimism.
Along the way, the book realistically depicts female scientists in the 1940s, an era in which we're sometimes led to believe female scientists just didn't exist.
And oh, yeah, it's also all really well written. :-) Recommended, along with the book before it, The Green Glass Sea.
Along the way, the book realistically depicts female scientists in the 1940s, an era in which we're sometimes led to believe female scientists just didn't exist.
And oh, yeah, it's also all really well written. :-) Recommended, along with the book before it, The Green Glass Sea.
October 19, 2009
This is a very nice sequel to The Green Glass Sea. I loved being back in Dewey's world and finding out what happened next as she moved with the Gordon family to Alamogordo, New Mexico. World War II has just ended, and Dewey and Suze are in the eighth grade. Just as in The Green Glass Sea, the characters and the setting all feel very real. There were even a few shout-outs to us in the present day. This conversation between Dewey and Mrs. Gordon made me chuckle:
I also chuckled over Dewey's conversation with her friend Owen about whether televisions were a reality yet. Then later he comes running to tell her that he saw his first television in a shop in El Paso - even though they didn't have any stations there yet.
As I said, this is a very nice sequel and I recommend it to anyone who read and liked The Green Glass Sea.
Dewey turned the gas burner on low and poured milk into the saucepan. "In Home Ec, Mrs. Winfield said by the time we're grown-ups, every kitchen will have an atomic-powered oven that'll warm milk up in thirty seconds, and pop popcorn in a paper bag." She stirred in sugar and cocoa power. "Do you think that's true?"
"Atomic-powered? No, kiddo, that's just science fiction. Pie in the sky. I did read about an oven that uses high-frequency electromagnetic waves to produce heat, but I doubt it'll ever be a common household object." She took a sip of coffee. "Wouldn't that be nice, though? Instant dinners."
I also chuckled over Dewey's conversation with her friend Owen about whether televisions were a reality yet. Then later he comes running to tell her that he saw his first television in a shop in El Paso - even though they didn't have any stations there yet.
As I said, this is a very nice sequel and I recommend it to anyone who read and liked The Green Glass Sea.
January 3, 2009
The writing was still definitely great, but I just didn't find this even close to as compelling as the first book--it was missing that sense of urgency that drove the plot of TGGS. For some reason I also felt like the many many many specific period details were a little jarring or self-conscious this time (I didn't at all in the last book)--maybe because YA books actually written in the 1940s and 50s are almost never specific about things like brands of soda and radio programs. But I did think that the last third or so of the book, when the plot started doing more, was almost as good as TGGS.
March 26, 2009
This sequel to The Green Glass Sea continues the stories of Dewey and Suze as they begin 8th grade in Alamogordo, NM in 1946. Ellen Klages captures perfectly the growing tension and paranoia of Americans at that time, while still creating compelling characters. The book's told in a series of vignettes, which is not normally a style I enjoy, so it's a great testament to the writing and detailed, authentic setting that I enjoyed it as much as I did.
If you liked The Green Glass Sea, pick this one up!
Full review on my blog:
http://abbylibrarian.blogspot.com/200...
If you liked The Green Glass Sea, pick this one up!
Full review on my blog:
http://abbylibrarian.blogspot.com/200...
September 1, 2008
When authors choose historical moments in time to set their stories against, surely the temptation must be to go for the big shiny moments, yes? The Alamo. The sinking of the Titanic. Gigantic wars. Dramatic moments in human history are the natural lure and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s natural. So what are we to make of the author that eschews all that for the seemingly less interesting eras? Say, for example, 1946? World War II is over and America hasn’t fully bought into McCarthyism quite yet. There aren’t any spies or big battles to cover. Instead there’s something more insidious. The feel of a nation trying to do what is right, but also getting sucked into the fear and paranoia that will cause countless problems a couple years down the line. To write something this subtle without boring a child audience takes a deft hand, and author Ellen Klages is up to the challenge. Having already established her setting and characters in the Scott O’Dell Award winning book The Green Glass Sea, Klages now turns her sights on the aftermath of WWII in America and the effects of the time period on cultural and personal relations. A little slow to start, once this sequel gets moving there’s no stopping it.
It’s been eight months since World War II ended. Eight months and in that time Dewey Kerrigan has fitted in nicely with her friend Suze Gordan’s family. Now they’ve moved from Los Alamos to Alamogordo, New Mexico because of Mr. Gordon’s current work on the government's rocket program. Things are progressing fairly quickly for the girls as well. They’re both still fascinated by mixing Suze’s artistic talent with Dewey’s scientific bent, but they’re also growing up. Suze makes friends with a Mexican-American girl and her family, Dewey is friends (or more?) with a boy who shares her technical bent. But in the meantime tensions are brewing. Is Dewey closer to Suze’s scientific mom than she is? Are Mr. and Mrs. Gordan going to divorce over their different beliefs? Why is Mrs. Gordan feeling so ill? And who is this strange motorcycle riding woman who’s just driven into town looking for Dewey of all people? Mysteries are answered and realities changed in an America where nothing is as straightforward as it seems.
The book begins slowly, I just have to tell you right now. Unless children have read its predecessor, I’m not altogether certain they’ll stick with the first few chapters where nothing much really happens unless they're pushed a little. Yet as it goes on, White Sands builds its own momentum. But to find the right child audience for this book, you have to know your reader. In Green Glass Sea Dewey is reading Caddie Woodlawn and only enjoying the section where Caddie starts fixing clocks. There are lots of kids like Dewey out there who prefer novels with science, non-fiction, politics, and realism. These are the children that visibly cringe when you move a Harry Potter novel into their physical sphere. The ones who find a great deal of satisfaction in reading about process. And there really is something wholly satisfying in watching people do what they love even if it isn’t what you personally love too. I’m not saying that fantasy readers won’t also find a lot to enjoy in this title but personally I think that it will be particularly beloved by a very particular type of reader.
As for the age range there are certainly some older themes at work here. Parents whose marriage may be on the rocks because of political beliefs. First kisses. Whether blood really is as strong as everyone says. That said, it’s rendered in kid-friendly language, so I don’t think an intelligent ten or eleven-year-old would have much difficulty with the reading.
When a historical novel feels contemporary because the emotions and characters feel like they exist in the here and now, that’s the mark of a great book, my friend. One of Klages’ real talents is the balance of the past and the present. She takes great pains to remain historically accurate. That’s why the Author’s Note at the back includes a bibliography of titles discussing the 1940s, the atomic bomb, spinthariscopes, the V-2 rocket program, and White Sands National Monument. There’s even additional information on El Paso’s first TV station (it comes up in the plot) and Yuri Gagarin, the first Russian cosmonaut. As for the characters, the leap between two points of view (Dewey and Suze) without traipsing into first person territory is difficult and yet done seamlessly here. You never feel jerked from one person’s view to another’s. This book may have its basis in the past, but it feels fresh to read it today.
My husband is a screenwriter with a penchant for writing noirs. In his research he’s done a lot of study on Operation Paperclip, the O.S.S.–U.S. Military employment of scientists from Nazi Germany just after the Second World War. Basically, it was when America hired Nazi scientists to work for us instead of the Russians. It’s not the kind of thing many people know, and I’ve certainly never seen it mentioned in children’s literature. It was fascinating to find not only a mention of this in White Sands but actual Nazi scientists interacting with the characters. So when Dewey asks why Nuremberg even happened (“How come the army executed these Nazis, and not the V-2 ones?”) it's a completely legitimate question that people are still asking to this day. Not that the kids in the book ever find an answer to it.
Though it’s not at the center of the story, the Gordons’ debate over nuclear proliferation is also fascinating. Mr. Gordon explains patiently to Dewey that this is scientific progress and cannot, nay, should not be stopped. Mrs. Gordon however sees this as the very cause of wars and not the prevention. And Klages, to her credit, never really dings the bell and declares one side a winner over another. Still, you’ll probably figure out which take she prefers by the story’s end.
Like I say, maybe it’s not a book for every kid out there but certainly it has an audience. Readers who read Green Glass Sea and wondered how Suze and Dewey would fare in the same home will find the answers. Readers who enjoy this period in history, any period in history, rockets, exploding atoms, science, or any or all of that will find something to enjoy here. Great writing, a fascinating plot, and female road hogs (I’m not kidding). What’s not to love? A great follow-up by an accomplished writer.
Ages 10 and up.
It’s been eight months since World War II ended. Eight months and in that time Dewey Kerrigan has fitted in nicely with her friend Suze Gordan’s family. Now they’ve moved from Los Alamos to Alamogordo, New Mexico because of Mr. Gordon’s current work on the government's rocket program. Things are progressing fairly quickly for the girls as well. They’re both still fascinated by mixing Suze’s artistic talent with Dewey’s scientific bent, but they’re also growing up. Suze makes friends with a Mexican-American girl and her family, Dewey is friends (or more?) with a boy who shares her technical bent. But in the meantime tensions are brewing. Is Dewey closer to Suze’s scientific mom than she is? Are Mr. and Mrs. Gordan going to divorce over their different beliefs? Why is Mrs. Gordan feeling so ill? And who is this strange motorcycle riding woman who’s just driven into town looking for Dewey of all people? Mysteries are answered and realities changed in an America where nothing is as straightforward as it seems.
The book begins slowly, I just have to tell you right now. Unless children have read its predecessor, I’m not altogether certain they’ll stick with the first few chapters where nothing much really happens unless they're pushed a little. Yet as it goes on, White Sands builds its own momentum. But to find the right child audience for this book, you have to know your reader. In Green Glass Sea Dewey is reading Caddie Woodlawn and only enjoying the section where Caddie starts fixing clocks. There are lots of kids like Dewey out there who prefer novels with science, non-fiction, politics, and realism. These are the children that visibly cringe when you move a Harry Potter novel into their physical sphere. The ones who find a great deal of satisfaction in reading about process. And there really is something wholly satisfying in watching people do what they love even if it isn’t what you personally love too. I’m not saying that fantasy readers won’t also find a lot to enjoy in this title but personally I think that it will be particularly beloved by a very particular type of reader.
As for the age range there are certainly some older themes at work here. Parents whose marriage may be on the rocks because of political beliefs. First kisses. Whether blood really is as strong as everyone says. That said, it’s rendered in kid-friendly language, so I don’t think an intelligent ten or eleven-year-old would have much difficulty with the reading.
When a historical novel feels contemporary because the emotions and characters feel like they exist in the here and now, that’s the mark of a great book, my friend. One of Klages’ real talents is the balance of the past and the present. She takes great pains to remain historically accurate. That’s why the Author’s Note at the back includes a bibliography of titles discussing the 1940s, the atomic bomb, spinthariscopes, the V-2 rocket program, and White Sands National Monument. There’s even additional information on El Paso’s first TV station (it comes up in the plot) and Yuri Gagarin, the first Russian cosmonaut. As for the characters, the leap between two points of view (Dewey and Suze) without traipsing into first person territory is difficult and yet done seamlessly here. You never feel jerked from one person’s view to another’s. This book may have its basis in the past, but it feels fresh to read it today.
My husband is a screenwriter with a penchant for writing noirs. In his research he’s done a lot of study on Operation Paperclip, the O.S.S.–U.S. Military employment of scientists from Nazi Germany just after the Second World War. Basically, it was when America hired Nazi scientists to work for us instead of the Russians. It’s not the kind of thing many people know, and I’ve certainly never seen it mentioned in children’s literature. It was fascinating to find not only a mention of this in White Sands but actual Nazi scientists interacting with the characters. So when Dewey asks why Nuremberg even happened (“How come the army executed these Nazis, and not the V-2 ones?”) it's a completely legitimate question that people are still asking to this day. Not that the kids in the book ever find an answer to it.
Though it’s not at the center of the story, the Gordons’ debate over nuclear proliferation is also fascinating. Mr. Gordon explains patiently to Dewey that this is scientific progress and cannot, nay, should not be stopped. Mrs. Gordon however sees this as the very cause of wars and not the prevention. And Klages, to her credit, never really dings the bell and declares one side a winner over another. Still, you’ll probably figure out which take she prefers by the story’s end.
Like I say, maybe it’s not a book for every kid out there but certainly it has an audience. Readers who read Green Glass Sea and wondered how Suze and Dewey would fare in the same home will find the answers. Readers who enjoy this period in history, any period in history, rockets, exploding atoms, science, or any or all of that will find something to enjoy here. Great writing, a fascinating plot, and female road hogs (I’m not kidding). What’s not to love? A great follow-up by an accomplished writer.
Ages 10 and up.
October 16, 2008
I cracked this sequel to The Green Glass Sea with no little trepidation. I've come to expect sophomore slump from YA books lately. I needn't have fretted; Klages hit this one out of the park. I think I like it better than TGGS despite the absence of Dick Feynman. Werhner von Braun (offstage) is hardly a substitute. Imagine, that's my biggest quibble with this book, that's how good it is.
Klages covers family and its arcane permutations while ably handling adolescence, what it was like to be a nontraditional girl in the 40s, the repercussions of Hiroshima, and how it felt to know that the people your dad worked with had been Nazis in the not too distant past. And a first kiss, too. There were so many balls in the air in this book it makes my mind boggle that the flow of the narrative was seamless. A masterpiece.
Highly recommended.
Klages covers family and its arcane permutations while ably handling adolescence, what it was like to be a nontraditional girl in the 40s, the repercussions of Hiroshima, and how it felt to know that the people your dad worked with had been Nazis in the not too distant past. And a first kiss, too. There were so many balls in the air in this book it makes my mind boggle that the flow of the narrative was seamless. A masterpiece.
Highly recommended.
October 23, 2008
Wonderful sequel to THE GREEN GLASS SEA. In no way did I want this book to end. I want to keep following Dewey and Suze as they keep asking questions and keep trying to figure it all out. Klages packs a lot of science, history and social issues in here, but never does she come even close to being pedantic. Her characters are too real for that. The scene with Dewey's glasses took my breath away.
July 26, 2022
READ 2 (25 July 2022)-
The Green Glass Sea is one of my favorite books of all time, and I couldn't remember if White Sands, Red Menace was also as good (I mildly remember that I liked White Sands, Red Menace more than The Green Glass Sea, but my old review doesn't give any information lol).
Some highlights:
-The wall was so cool!! I remember having a lil project like that to work on when I was a kid and it was just the best
-The emotional progression between Dewey and Suze was so well done and it all really did make sense. The slow build towards learning their new roles as a family throughout the changing dynamic was so well paced and felt so right.
-Like in The Green Glass Sea, Suze's mom is my literary hero: the way she fights openly for beliefs, the way she patiently explains scientific concepts to Dewey, the way she is empathetic towards Dewey and Suze without babying them, the way she confronted : she's just a badass and I want to be her when I grow up. At the same time, it was obvious that she had her flaws (SO! MUCH! SMOKING!) and that made her fully a rounded character
-the descriptions of this book are vividly clear, and it makes me want to experience the beauty that they saw. The desert was written with such awe, and I really liked that
-the era was so well noted, especially since post-WWII isn't really a time that is talked about all that much (especially in YA/MG, but frequently in books I read at least). The rage of atomic everything, the predictions about sci fi, televisions, etc was so cool to read about and placed the era well
-there are so many important topics that are noticed, including social justice/equity topics regarding the nuclear bomb that I previously hadn't realized. the girls don't really grasp all of it, being as young as they are, but it is obvious that they are being exposed to it, and it is clear to the reader, which is another way I am impressed by the writing. The moral and ethical heaviness of the nuclear bomb and the uncertainty of a whole nation about what they have just done are so clear in this book without being overpowering, which is not easy I'm sure.
-also Suze was friends with a Mexican-American girl who had an extremely different lifestyle and lived experience from her, which I really liked the inclusion of as well
-the cameo of Wernher von Braun was really interesting lol
Overall I definitely didn't like this book as much as I did The Green Glass Sea, but it was still an extraordinarily well told story, and covered a lot of heavy topics in a lot of tact and care. I would recommend it as a sequel to The Green Glass Sea, and I'm excited to read the third book in the series!
READ 1 (8 January 2017)-
UM OKAY SO THIS MAY HAVE BEEN THE BEST CONCLUSION TO A SEQUEL IVE EVER READ. LIKE SERIOUSLY. SO WELL ROUNDED.
*shuts up to prevent from spoiling anything*
*whispering* BUT THERES A PLOT TWIST
*flailing*
*forces everyone to read it*
The Green Glass Sea is one of my favorite books of all time, and I couldn't remember if White Sands, Red Menace was also as good (I mildly remember that I liked White Sands, Red Menace more than The Green Glass Sea, but my old review doesn't give any information lol).
Some highlights:
-The wall was so cool!! I remember having a lil project like that to work on when I was a kid and it was just the best
-The emotional progression between Dewey and Suze was so well done and it all really did make sense. The slow build towards learning their new roles as a family throughout the changing dynamic was so well paced and felt so right.
-Like in The Green Glass Sea, Suze's mom is my literary hero: the way she fights openly for beliefs, the way she patiently explains scientific concepts to Dewey, the way she is empathetic towards Dewey and Suze without babying them, the way she confronted : she's just a badass and I want to be her when I grow up. At the same time, it was obvious that she had her flaws (SO! MUCH! SMOKING!) and that made her fully a rounded character
-the descriptions of this book are vividly clear, and it makes me want to experience the beauty that they saw. The desert was written with such awe, and I really liked that
-the era was so well noted, especially since post-WWII isn't really a time that is talked about all that much (especially in YA/MG, but frequently in books I read at least). The rage of atomic everything, the predictions about sci fi, televisions, etc was so cool to read about and placed the era well
-there are so many important topics that are noticed, including social justice/equity topics regarding the nuclear bomb that I previously hadn't realized. the girls don't really grasp all of it, being as young as they are, but it is obvious that they are being exposed to it, and it is clear to the reader, which is another way I am impressed by the writing. The moral and ethical heaviness of the nuclear bomb and the uncertainty of a whole nation about what they have just done are so clear in this book without being overpowering, which is not easy I'm sure.
-also Suze was friends with a Mexican-American girl who had an extremely different lifestyle and lived experience from her, which I really liked the inclusion of as well
-the cameo of Wernher von Braun was really interesting lol
Overall I definitely didn't like this book as much as I did The Green Glass Sea, but it was still an extraordinarily well told story, and covered a lot of heavy topics in a lot of tact and care. I would recommend it as a sequel to The Green Glass Sea, and I'm excited to read the third book in the series!
READ 1 (8 January 2017)-
UM OKAY SO THIS MAY HAVE BEEN THE BEST CONCLUSION TO A SEQUEL IVE EVER READ. LIKE SERIOUSLY. SO WELL ROUNDED.
*shuts up to prevent from spoiling anything*
*whispering* BUT THERES A PLOT TWIST
*flailing*
*forces everyone to read it*
December 17, 2008
This sequel to The Green Glass Sea is less lustrous but equally fascinating. The end of that book prevented one from expecting any Happily Ever After but the reality of life for this scientific family post-Los Alamos is sobering. Mrs. Gordon is haunted by what she and fellow scientists created whereas her husband sees the pursuit as science as a necessary goal, regardless of repercussions, because war and progress are connected. Suze Gordon cares about Dewey but resents that Dewey seems to have more in common with her mother than she does and refuses to call her a sister. Dewey's love of science and machinery makes her even more different from her peers than she already is but often helps her make unexpected friendships, which is essential for this lonely child, who still misses her scientist father.
Allusions to Wernher von Braun were startling as I think of him as the punch line in a Tom Lehrer song, although I remember my mother telling me when I was child how he had left Germany and come to work for the U.S.
Allusions to Wernher von Braun were startling as I think of him as the punch line in a Tom Lehrer song, although I remember my mother telling me when I was child how he had left Germany and come to work for the U.S.
July 3, 2009
I really liked The Green Glass Sea, and
However this book had some issues.
1. It's too sequelly - it took me a while to catch up to the plots of the 1st book - who is dead in Dewey's family? What's the relationship and...
2. OMG this is EVERYTHING I hate in historical fiction! Research passed off as plot, complete with two HORRIBLY HAM FISTED ways of shoving information in:
A character, when cooking, complains about how long it is taking and says (paraphrased) "I've heard there is an oven in development that will cook things quickly with magnetic waves, but that will never be in every household"
AND one character is reading a book science fiction book, and states, (paraphrased) It's by an author that will never amount to anything, Robert Heinlein.
Oh, hardee harhar. This adds nothing to the story but to be a smart aleck. Yuck.
It did get good once Dewey's Mom shows up, but even she's a bit of a stereotype.
However this book had some issues.
1. It's too sequelly - it took me a while to catch up to the plots of the 1st book - who is dead in Dewey's family? What's the relationship and...
2. OMG this is EVERYTHING I hate in historical fiction! Research passed off as plot, complete with two HORRIBLY HAM FISTED ways of shoving information in:
A character, when cooking, complains about how long it is taking and says (paraphrased) "I've heard there is an oven in development that will cook things quickly with magnetic waves, but that will never be in every household"
AND one character is reading a book science fiction book, and states, (paraphrased) It's by an author that will never amount to anything, Robert Heinlein.
Oh, hardee harhar. This adds nothing to the story but to be a smart aleck. Yuck.
It did get good once Dewey's Mom shows up, but even she's a bit of a stereotype.
October 19, 2013
This book is a sequel to The Green Glass Sea, and while it was not as wonderful and emotional to me as the first book, it was still a very good story in its own right.
The book continues the story of two girls, Dewey and Suze, and their lives after the Trinity nuclear bomb testing. The year is now 1946, World War II is over, and girls are now living in Alamogordo, New Mexico while Suze's father works on rocket testing.
What I most enjoyed about this story was how both girls are portrayed as smart, independent thinking young women. They are both unique, with special interests and ideas, that are well portrayed. I really enjoy Dewey's interest in all things science, physics, and math.
The book continues the story of two girls, Dewey and Suze, and their lives after the Trinity nuclear bomb testing. The year is now 1946, World War II is over, and girls are now living in Alamogordo, New Mexico while Suze's father works on rocket testing.
What I most enjoyed about this story was how both girls are portrayed as smart, independent thinking young women. They are both unique, with special interests and ideas, that are well portrayed. I really enjoy Dewey's interest in all things science, physics, and math.
July 6, 2019
I just didn't *like* this. It tried to cover *so* much ground that everything wound up being treated superficially, lightly. Racism, check. First kiss, check. Sexism, check. Engineer vs. Peacenik, check. Adoption issues, check. Etc. Etc. Good book for a social studies classroom or homeschooling unit. Not so good book for casual readers looking for joy or satisfaction, imo.
November 10, 2016
Although it starts out a lot slower than The Green Glass Sea, it's definitely a follow up that's worth the read.
August 28, 2017
I had some detaily quibbles, but overall, a delightful sequel to Green Glass. Had Dewey been a touch older, I might have wanted a different end for her. Ya know, the Harley riding Rita is the bomb.
December 24, 2017
The historical accuracy hit the mark on every page, as did the sensuous descriptions of the desert and teenage emotional experience. The plot, however, failed to take off and gain any urgency until the last quarter of the novel--and so (unlike the experience of reading GREEN GLASS SEA), I felt that I was waiting for much of the book for something important to happen to the characters (although I took pleasure in their daily experience of 1940s life in Alamogordo).
August 6, 2009
In the sequel to The Green Glass, Klages continues the 1940s story of Suze and Dewey, two young girls who have spent the last several months living at the research community where the atomic bomb was develop. Dewey's father and both of Suze's parents were scientists working on the project. Toward the end of the last book, Dewey's father had passed away due to an accident, and Suze's parents took her in.
Suze and Dewey's friendship was off to a bumpy start, but they have since grown to be just like sisters, though they refer to each other as brothers (as in blood-brothers) since they aren't actually sisters.
With the war over and the world happy to see it over and quite traumatized by the results of the bomb, the girls and their family have moved from Los Alamos to Alamogordo, New Mexico. Suze's father has started working on the White Sands rocket project. This project is using the recovered parts (and even many of the Nazi scientists) from the German V2 rocket project to begin a space program. It keeps Dr. Gordon quite busy.
Dr. Mrs. Gordon agreed to delay her return to university teaching for a year so her husband can work on the project. She had left the school in Berkeley to help the war effort, but she wants dearly to return to her life on campus.
Dewey is also confronted with a woman from the past: her biological mother. Dewey has often been made fun of over the years because one of her legs is shorter than the other. This was due to the fact that her mother dropped her when she was just a baby, which led to her leg being broken in three places. Out of fear, her mom ran off, leaving just Dewey and her father to fend for themselves. Now, Dewey's mom is looking to come back into the role, but Dewey is not sure she is willing to sacrifice her new family to do so.
The girls also get an opportunity to develop their social skills. Suze becomes friends with a Mexican girl who lives on the other side of town while Dewey finds first love. Dewey is also confronted with the challenges of being a girl as she wants to take shop and other science/engineering related courses at school, only to be forced into home economics instead.
As with the previous book, Klages does a wonderful job of making the reader feel like they are living in the times. She mentions in her Author's Note that this is a time period that is often overlooked, with history books often jumping right from the end of the war to the early Cold War in the 1950s. This novel does a nice job of filling in the blanks while doing so in an entertaining way.
I don't think new readers need to worry about having read the first novel. While a number of characters are carried over, and the first book does have some background in the area of character development, I think Klages has done a nice job of summarizing the important points for new readers.
Suze and Dewey's friendship was off to a bumpy start, but they have since grown to be just like sisters, though they refer to each other as brothers (as in blood-brothers) since they aren't actually sisters.
With the war over and the world happy to see it over and quite traumatized by the results of the bomb, the girls and their family have moved from Los Alamos to Alamogordo, New Mexico. Suze's father has started working on the White Sands rocket project. This project is using the recovered parts (and even many of the Nazi scientists) from the German V2 rocket project to begin a space program. It keeps Dr. Gordon quite busy.
Dr. Mrs. Gordon agreed to delay her return to university teaching for a year so her husband can work on the project. She had left the school in Berkeley to help the war effort, but she wants dearly to return to her life on campus.
Dewey is also confronted with a woman from the past: her biological mother. Dewey has often been made fun of over the years because one of her legs is shorter than the other. This was due to the fact that her mother dropped her when she was just a baby, which led to her leg being broken in three places. Out of fear, her mom ran off, leaving just Dewey and her father to fend for themselves. Now, Dewey's mom is looking to come back into the role, but Dewey is not sure she is willing to sacrifice her new family to do so.
The girls also get an opportunity to develop their social skills. Suze becomes friends with a Mexican girl who lives on the other side of town while Dewey finds first love. Dewey is also confronted with the challenges of being a girl as she wants to take shop and other science/engineering related courses at school, only to be forced into home economics instead.
As with the previous book, Klages does a wonderful job of making the reader feel like they are living in the times. She mentions in her Author's Note that this is a time period that is often overlooked, with history books often jumping right from the end of the war to the early Cold War in the 1950s. This novel does a nice job of filling in the blanks while doing so in an entertaining way.
I don't think new readers need to worry about having read the first novel. While a number of characters are carried over, and the first book does have some background in the area of character development, I think Klages has done a nice job of summarizing the important points for new readers.
October 7, 2009
Very satisfying sequel to Green Glass Sea, Suze and Dewey are now teenagers starting high school in Alamogordo after the war while Suze's father is working on Werner von Braun's rockets. If possible, I liked the girls even better than in Green Glass Sea. It's a great demonstration of characters aging well. They're still recognizable as the same kids from the first book, but have changed and grown in realistic and believable ways.
The downside - one of the things I loved the most about Green Glass Sea is how neutrally issues were presented, at least on the surface. As a reader, you really get all the tools to draw your own conclusions about the development of the atomic bomb. White Sands, Red Menace is a little more blatant about which side is right. Dr. Gordon's anti-nuke campaign is obviously passionate and caring; whenever her husband Dr. Gordon gets some air time for the opposing view, he sounds like a ninny. Okay, now it sounds like I am complaining about not loving The Bomb enough. Even though I agree with Terry, it comes across as too preachy for me.
Grade B+
Recommended: Definitely to anyone who enjoyed Green Glass Sea. And these should be read in order. They should get some sort of prize for Best Use Of Historical Settings for Telling a Story - Los Alamos for the first, and Alamogordo for this one.
The downside - one of the things I loved the most about Green Glass Sea is how neutrally issues were presented, at least on the surface. As a reader, you really get all the tools to draw your own conclusions about the development of the atomic bomb. White Sands, Red Menace is a little more blatant about which side is right. Dr. Gordon's anti-nuke campaign is obviously passionate and caring; whenever her husband Dr. Gordon gets some air time for the opposing view, he sounds like a ninny. Okay, now it sounds like I am complaining about not loving The Bomb enough. Even though I agree with Terry, it comes across as too preachy for me.
Grade B+
Recommended: Definitely to anyone who enjoyed Green Glass Sea. And these should be read in order. They should get some sort of prize for Best Use Of Historical Settings for Telling a Story - Los Alamos for the first, and Alamogordo for this one.
January 11, 2009
Ellen Klages has done a wonderful job continuing the story of Dewey Kerrigan and her "adopted" family after the end of World War II first seen in "Green Glass Sea". This is an era of US history that is skipped over leaving us with little knowledge of what it was like in America after "the bomb" was dropped and when the McCarthy era/Iron Curtain began showing its ugly face.
Few people can evoke such a realistic look into the lives of rather ordinary people and the conflicts of the era. Many people are horrified at what the atom bomb did to Japan; others are swept up in building rockets and the beginning of the "Atomic Age." Ms. Klages describes the moral dilemma of having an ex-Nazi doing work for the Americans now that the war is over knowing what they did to the Jewish people during the war. We are also given a stellar a look into the emotional lives of her characters. Dewey, the "adopted" daughter, and Suze compete for Mrs. Gordon's attention. Mrs. Gordon is trying to warn of the dangers of the atomic bombs and wants to return to teaching, while her husband prefers to continue research on missles while ignoring his family.
This book is every bit as wonderful as its predecessor.
Few people can evoke such a realistic look into the lives of rather ordinary people and the conflicts of the era. Many people are horrified at what the atom bomb did to Japan; others are swept up in building rockets and the beginning of the "Atomic Age." Ms. Klages describes the moral dilemma of having an ex-Nazi doing work for the Americans now that the war is over knowing what they did to the Jewish people during the war. We are also given a stellar a look into the emotional lives of her characters. Dewey, the "adopted" daughter, and Suze compete for Mrs. Gordon's attention. Mrs. Gordon is trying to warn of the dangers of the atomic bombs and wants to return to teaching, while her husband prefers to continue research on missles while ignoring his family.
This book is every bit as wonderful as its predecessor.
April 13, 2010
White Sand, Red Menace picks up where The Green Glass Sea left off. The bombs have been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and Dewey Kerrigan has moved with her foster family, the Gordons, to Alamogordo, where Phil Gordon is working at the White Sand Missile Range, and Terry Gordon, who has given up her chemistry career for a year for Phil, is helping the scientists' movement to control and limit use of the atomic bomb. Dewey and Suze Gordon are still learning to live with each other, to fit in at their new school, and to find a place for themselves in a society which privileges boys over girls.
As with The Green Glass Sea, I was impressed by Klages' lucid style and her detailed historical setting, and I was pleased to spend more time seeing Dewey and Suze develop. I did think the book lacked some of the focus of The Green Glass Sea; none of the many plot threads quite got as much time as I'd have liked, particularly those dealing with Suze's friendship with a Mexican-American girl and with Terry Gordon's political activism. The book ends with not every question answered (though nothing is left as a cliffhanger), and I'd certainly love to read another one, if Klages writes one.
As with The Green Glass Sea, I was impressed by Klages' lucid style and her detailed historical setting, and I was pleased to spend more time seeing Dewey and Suze develop. I did think the book lacked some of the focus of The Green Glass Sea; none of the many plot threads quite got as much time as I'd have liked, particularly those dealing with Suze's friendship with a Mexican-American girl and with Terry Gordon's political activism. The book ends with not every question answered (though nothing is left as a cliffhanger), and I'd certainly love to read another one, if Klages writes one.
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February 10, 2010I was excited to learn what happened to Dewey and Suze! The Green Glass Sea, ended abruptly, so I was relieved to learn there was a sequel. Though now that I've read this, I want to know what happens next.
There seems to be so little about the immediate post war years. The war ends, and then it's the 1950's and McCarthyism strikes. But happened right after? That's what I want to know.
The book wonderfully depicts the concerns of the late 1940's, the setting, the wonderul characters and universal teenage struggles and beautifully melds them into the story. The late 1940's was closer to the pre war era than the post war advances, but not by much. There is a real feeling that the characters are standing on the precipice of a new way, and they are well aware of the changes. As they should be. Dewey and Suze barely remember a time of peace, and Terry wants them to know that in the new era. A well done book.
There seems to be so little about the immediate post war years. The war ends, and then it's the 1950's and McCarthyism strikes. But happened right after? That's what I want to know.
The book wonderfully depicts the concerns of the late 1940's, the setting, the wonderul characters and universal teenage struggles and beautifully melds them into the story. The late 1940's was closer to the pre war era than the post war advances, but not by much. There is a real feeling that the characters are standing on the precipice of a new way, and they are well aware of the changes. As they should be. Dewey and Suze barely remember a time of peace, and Terry wants them to know that in the new era. A well done book.
October 20, 2014
I loved both The Green Glass Sea and its sequel, White Sands, Red Menace. The story works on the personal level of Dewey, who has lost her family and lives precariously by the good will of Suze's parents, and on the historical level of peeling back layers of the secretive world of America's A-bomb project during WWII and after.
This is a middle-grade novel with substance and heart. Dewey breaks convention by being a girl who likes to build gadgets and wants to be an engineer. She doesn't let people squash her dream, despite being small for her age, permanently injured from an accident, and a girl in a time girls weren't allowed to take shop and were discouraged from subjects like higher math. That isn't to say Dewey isn't scared about her future; she just perseveres.
I read the first novel in book format and listened to the sequel on audiobook. Both were great.
This is a middle-grade novel with substance and heart. Dewey breaks convention by being a girl who likes to build gadgets and wants to be an engineer. She doesn't let people squash her dream, despite being small for her age, permanently injured from an accident, and a girl in a time girls weren't allowed to take shop and were discouraged from subjects like higher math. That isn't to say Dewey isn't scared about her future; she just perseveres.
I read the first novel in book format and listened to the sequel on audiobook. Both were great.
July 13, 2011
Ok, kids, if you want an easy, fun couple of historical fiction books to read this summer, pick up this one and its prequel, the Green Glass Sea. Very well written, the pair of preteen girls in the forties grow up as children of scientists who worked on the "gadget" that ended the war and then dealt with the repercussions of having created the atom bomb. While one parent continues to launch rockets to Protect our Country from wwiii, another launches a letter-writing campaign to end the arms race before it even truly starts. The girls deal with losses, decisions of growing up, and being misfits in a time where girls didn't tinker with science or machines. Read it with your daughter or fly through it on the porch while the crickets sing!
February 6, 2011
This book was a good read and explored some important areas of thought about the bomb and war, as well as friendship and familial love. I liked it a lot, but was surprised there was nothing (very little) about the communists. The title led me to believe that there would be more. It seems like a transitional book between The Green Glass Sea and a future book. The interpersonal relationships took center stage. This was okay, in fact, it would be wonderful, if it weren't for the expectation developed by the title of the book. (How about White Sands, Black Harley?). Still a worthy read. :-D
July 6, 2019
rating: 3.5 stars
I read several chapters before I settled in and enjoyed the story. At first, the conversations seemed awkward, the writing choppy, and the sentences short and abrupt. Either the writing style changed or I was pulled into the story and ignored what I didn't like. It's been 4.5 years since I read the first book so I'm sure that didn't help.
The girls are a little older and their interests have developed. Klages has sprinkled details about life in the late '40s in every chapter, and provided insight into the beginnings of the atomic age.
There are enough unresolved issues to warrant a third book.
I read several chapters before I settled in and enjoyed the story. At first, the conversations seemed awkward, the writing choppy, and the sentences short and abrupt. Either the writing style changed or I was pulled into the story and ignored what I didn't like. It's been 4.5 years since I read the first book so I'm sure that didn't help.
The girls are a little older and their interests have developed. Klages has sprinkled details about life in the late '40s in every chapter, and provided insight into the beginnings of the atomic age.
There are enough unresolved issues to warrant a third book.
April 23, 2015
I liked this book, but didn't love it. I still enjoyed the characters and their interactions and development -- there are a lot of plot twists that were interesting and unexpected. However, it wasn't as rich and intriguing in the historical sense as the first one. I kept thinking there would be more about the bombs or the cold war, but there just wasn't. Still, if you enjoyed the first book in the series, this was a decent follow-up. I think the author writes well and it kept my interest throughout.
February 3, 2009
Oh, Dewey and Suze, it was great to see you again! I loved the Green Glass Sea so much that I ordered the sequel and read it right away. This one isn't QUITE as good as the first, though. Not because of the book, really, but because I missed the fascinating setting of "The Hill." I also worry about Dr. and Dr. Gordon and their relationship. Maybe we'll find out in a future book??
But, still, I loved the world of 1946 America.
But, still, I loved the world of 1946 America.
September 24, 2009
The sequel to Green Glass Sea which follows same family to the aftermath of atomic bomb research. The father is involved with rocket research and very excited about the potential for space travel and other scientific advancements. The mother is concerned with the dangers of such research, and the children have problems of their own.
A well-done follow-up with interesting and engaging characters in a pivotal time in our history.
A well-done follow-up with interesting and engaging characters in a pivotal time in our history.
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