Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys


Written by Ruta Sepetys

Published by Philomel Books in March 2014

ISBN: 978-0147508430

Plot Summary: Josie is girl who is trying to find her way in the world as she deals with less than ideal upbringings. Her mom is a prostitute and they move back to New Orleans to work for a madam named Willie who takes care of her girls and their families. Josie finds a job at a bookshop where she meets a rich tourist named Forrest Hearne. Hearne ends up dying of mysterious causes. One of Josie's moms boyfriends named Cincinnati comes back from Detroit and Josie's mom decides to run off to Hollywood with him even though he is abusive. The police come to suspect that Josie's mom is the one who killed Mr. Hearne. Josie gets in trouble with a local mob boss when she asks him to be an alibi as he is charging her $5000. Josie goes to the mob boss and tells him to back off as she pulls a gun on him and Josie ends up heading to Massachusetts to try college life after being left a significant estate by Willie who died of a heart attack. 

Critical Analysis: This book has many twists and turns with both the main character and many of the supporting characters in this book. Josie shows tremendous growth throughout the story as she has to grow up too fast for someone who has a very tough draw in life. Willie's character is the stereotypical bad guy who has a heart of gold and is just misunderstood by those who don't agree with her job choices in life. The theme of making your own path and following your own destiny is very prevalent in this book as Josie makes decisions that sometimes set herself up for success and other times leads her down a hard path. 

Review: Kirkus Book Review 

Step right onto the rough streets of the New Orleans French Quarter, circa 1950 and meet 17-year-old Josie Moraine, a feisty young woman whose mother, a prostitute in a Conti Street brothel, offers her nothing but scorn and abuse. From the tender age of 12, Josie has made her own way in the world, working in a local bookstore in exchange for a safe place to sleep and cleaning the brothel to earn money toward her planned escape from the Big Easy. Equal parts book smart and street smart, Josie’s dream is to attend Smith College, and she will go to extremes, even blackmail, in her desperation to be accepted. But just when her plans start to gain some traction, her mother strikes again, putting Josie in the middle of a murder investigation and saddling her with a mob debt. There are some meaningful messages here: that love can come from the unlikeliest of sources—the rough-and-tumble brothel madam is much more supportive of Josie than her mother ever was—and that we are all in control of our own destinies if only we choose to be. With a rich and realistic setting, a compelling and entertaining first-person narration, a colorful cast of memorable characters and an intriguing storyline, this is a surefire winner.

Immensely satisfying. (Historical fiction. 14 & up)

Connections: Students can do research on the French Quarter and the history of all the different countries that have claimed New Orleans over the years. Students could present both the historical perspective as well as the societal perspective of what has gone on there over the years with it's darker side. 

https://www.fqmd.org/history-of-french-quarter/

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