6 paperbacks we’re reading now
“On ho-hum days, I reach for books that transport me to a different time,” says Alyssa Rosenthal, FIRST associate editor. “And this story, which melded fact and fiction, was just the ticket.” In 1953, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were the only Americans executed for spying during the Cold War. In The Hours Count, Cantor imagines the life of Millie Stein, the Rosenbergs’ neighbor, who is pulled into the web of intrigue and secrecy by her friendship with Ethel and her husband Ed’s Russian origins. As chaos begins to swirl around the Rosenbergs, Millie starts to question her own husband’s political loyalty. “I felt like I was there in Millie’s apartment building, experiencing the nation’s fear and suspicion as the possibility of war grew,” says Alyssa. “And her strength to persevere in a seemingly helpless situation was inspiring.” (Riverhead, 2016; Paperback $16, Kindle $12, Nook $12)