Historical fiction

Windy City Blues by Renée Rosen “I’m a big fan of soulful music, so when I came across a novel set at the dawn of the Chicago blues era, I had to read it,” cheers Rebecca Abma, FIRST copy editor. After piano player Leeba Groski gets hired as a secretary at a record label, the legendary Chess Records, she goes from answering phones to writing songs and hanging out with famous musicians like Chuck Berry and Etta James. She also falls in love with an African-American blues guitarist, a taboo in segregated Chicago of the 1950s, and is shunned by her Jewish family. “I loved how the story was set against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement and the blues scene and how the author weaved in historical figures,” says Rebecca. “In fact, I couldn’t help but wonder if Leeba was based on one of my favorite songwriters, Carole King.” (Berkley, 2017; Paperback $16, Kindle $10, Nook $10)