The Ruby Beads

by Ira Smith

At a time when pristine wilderness is not yet conquered by high rise condominiums, three boys and a girl revel in the last of the Florida frontiers. Rusty and Chris spend summer days exploring the coastal wilderness of rolling sand dunes, blue water reefs, and hidden mangrove estuaries. In their little seaside town of Egret the Conchs (Bahamian fisherman) have spent decades in this place, and some among them have been up to their old tricks but with a new twist. Though the untouched coasts of Florida were ripe for smuggling and rum running in times past, even as those wild coasts are being tamed, some among the Conchs are not prepared to abandon the ways of their forefathers or the inlets and lagoons they call home. It is in this setting in which the youthful play of adolescents is entangled in the plotting of hard handed criminals. Along the way, Rusty and Linda discover a centuries old relic amid a kitchen midden left by the Indians; sixteen ruby beads used as trading items by the Spanish. The beads become central to the story as a time gone by in a quickly changing world..

287 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 30, 2016

Reviews

[Mary Dettmers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love stories about Old Florida like The Yearling, A Land Remembered and The Barefoot Mailman. The Ruby Beads is of that genre, following kids who got to explore and enjoy the beauty of the South Florida coastline before condominiums took over. Grassy dunes, magnificent shells still housing their occupants, mangrove swamps and mango and key lime trees...this is the paradise the two “heros” grow up in. Their knowledge of all the islands and their wildlife gives them an advantage when they come up against the “Conch” smugglers of present-day Singer Island in the 1950’s.

The love story between 13-year-old Rusty and Linda has many tender moments. And the ruby beads—ancient artifacts from Indian ruins—come to represent their innocence, sincere love and growing up. I really enjoyed it.

[Patty Beonde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ira Smith’s Ruby Beads transports the reader to the 50’s, a wonderful era in Florida’s past when young boys and girls could spend days exploring the waters, islands, and shores of coastal Florida. The story’s hero, Rusty, and his fellow adventurers, Chris, Benny, and Rusty’s “girlfriend”, Linda, live a near idyllic summertime life exploring all that the ocean, the mangroves, the beaches and the mango, guava and banyan trees have to offer. But, intrigue awaits, as they become aware of an undercurrent of activity in the small commercial fishing community of Egret on an island off Florida’s east coast. The Conch community of commercial fishermen, originally from the Bahamas, draw Rusty’s attention to an undercurrent of illegal activity. This book will keep your attention from beginning to end and leave you yearning for more.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am surprised no one has discovered this gem or taken the time to write a review of this wonderful story.
Ira's easy prose is surprisingly laced with beautiful and vivid descriptions.
The Ruby Beads could be described as "Stand by me" meets the "Sand Lot". It is the often misdirected adventures and imagination of two boys growing up in old Florida in the 50's as they immerse themselves in the abundance and natural beauty around them.
Told through the voice of 14 year old Rusty Brown, I felt as if I was really experiencing life through his eyes and feeling what he was feeling.
Along with his side kick Chris, who is both best friend a chief instigator of great adventures Chris's exuberant and innocent curiosity often leads them astray and trouble always seems to find them. Unexpectedly the boys find themselves embroiled in mysteries that surround their small town as well as the more complicated and perplexing one's emerging in Rusty's heart as he begins to navigate the confusing feelings facing him about, growing up and a girl named Linda.
It is discovering that as they grow older they are changing as rapidly as the land around them that they have grown to love. It is about how friendship and adventures carve a deep path in our childhoods and hearts and understanding that what you want and what is right are not always the same thing. It is about how finding courage to do the right thing can sometimes hurt.
Lastly it is the realization that time marches forward and sometimes you cannot hang onto the things you love. But mostly it is discovering that if you hold your memories close to you and deep in your heart they can never be taken away from you; that growing up is hard to do but when we look back we wouldn't change a thing

[Ira D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ruby Beads is a Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer tale involving life in the small fishing town of Egret, Florida in the early 1950's. The Conch rum runners are still up to their old tricks, but with a new twist and three rambunctious teen boys and a girl are too curious to let them be. It's a humorous, rollicking story and accurate in its depiction of how things were in this SE Florida town. Full of Conch fishermen, wild characters and misadventures that turn serious. An excellent book for adults and young readers.

[JOHN J · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good read

I enjoyed reading this book since I was born and raised in Riviera Beach and recognized many of the names of the people mentioned.