Looking Out

by Victoria Boutis

The year is 1953. America's anticommunist paranoia is at its height. And for twelve-year-old Ellen Gerson, life is dominated by a single, unchangeable fact: her parents are Communists. Ellen has never been able to make a new friend or even use some of the words she hears so often at home--words like "petition" and "equality"--without worrying that her parents' secret will be found out. But when her family moves to the small mill town of Fairmore Hills, Pennsylvania, Ellen sees the chance to make a fresh start--to be the all-American girl she's always dreamed of being. Ellen throws herself into the activities of her new seventh-grade class. She makes friends, wears the latest hairdos, and buys the right clothes so she'll fit in. And Ellen does fit in...but she begins to wonder. Do her new friends really believe that "the only good Commie is a dead Commie?" What does that make her parents? Are there only two ways to think--her parents' way and her friends' way? Or can Ellen find a way of her own?

Vividly evoking a turbulent era in America's (not so) recent past, Looking Out is a powerful and moving exploration of prejudice, conformity, and personal freedom.

139 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Kori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading this book when I was just about Ellen's age, and still remember how powerfully it affected me. I think the history went over my head, but what I definitely got was the message of doing what you feel is right, even though it may not be the popular thing. As a historical fiction writer reading it as an adult, I am even more taken with the author's portrayal of the Cold War era and the symbolic meaning it gives to the idea of social conformity. A powerful book that remains far too relevant - it's a shame that it's out of print! Thank goodness for Amazon!