Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys                      

Josie has a hard life in New Orleans.  Other people may enjoy the drinking, partying and brothels, but she has to clean up after all of that.   As the daughter of a prostitute, she is discriminated against by everyone.  Kids make fun of her and call her names.  Even adults are mean to her and make

assumptions that she will never amount to anything.  If that isn't enough, Josie's mother is a mess.  She has lousy choice in men- usually scary men that are in and out of jail, so Josie lives on her own.

In spite of all this, Josie has a plan to get out of New Orleans.  She is saving up money from her work at the brothel and her other job at the bookstore.  Then she meets a nice man who makes different assumptions about Josie.  That she must be smart.  She must be going to college.  She is educated.  Josie likes this man at the bookstore and is appalled when he is found dead just a few hours later.  Other bad things start happening and Josie's future begins to crumble before her eyes.

This is a great mystery.  I really enjoyed the historical setting- the seamy side of the French Quarter in 1950.  Josie is an unusual character- a sad childhood but some unusual and loyal friends.

A video about the novel with an introduction by the author

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