Product Description

Customer Reviews (18)

Wonderful Story

This was a wonderful book for sixteen and up.

Ruby, a sixteen year old living in the poor industrial area of Chicago, is a dropout, working in a factory where she packs pigs feet in brine to make money.Her widowed mother, can't get a job with knotted arthritic hands.She is left to spend her days sliding around in brine, and calculating how to pay for their next meal, back rent, and coal for the cook stove.
She is already feeling the tedious life that lays in front of her until Paulie, a local bad boy tells her about a job as a dance instructor at Starlight every evening.She is dazzled by the lovely girls in furs and jewelry.Mel, her new boss tells her the job pays a nickle for each dance plus tips, and Ruby finally sees a way to pull her family out of poverty.Worried about her religious mother's reaction, Ruby manages to hide her new job from her family and tells them she will be a phone operator.

The best part of her new life is Paulie, who shows her the exciting underbelly of crime.Ruby maneuvers her way into the routine of dancing and balancing her life, but the life of fast money comes with prices.It seems that while their clients were generous with money, they expected a lot more than she ever dreamed.SoonRuby is tangle in a web of her own lies and faced decision that with change who she is, forever.

This book is a wonderful historical fiction read, but also a great warning to young people who may start down a questionable path with good intentions.There is also a message about abusive relationships that I wish was a more prominent part of the book. I love the characters in this story.They are developed, but not with writing, but what is left unsaid.I found myself filling the blanks for many of the mysterious supporting characters.This story is rich in detail, accuracy, and makes you take a hard look at what people will do to keep up illusions.

Growing Up Too Fast = Not All It's Cracked Up to Be
This is a book I picked up because I judged it by its cover.Sometimes I really love when I do that!(Okay, I read the first few lines to be sure...)

Ruby is the oldest daughter of a Polish father and an Irish mother.Her father died years ago, her mother can no longer work in the factory due to arthritis, and so Ruby has quit school to go work in the factory - and ends up packaging pig's feet.That tidbit right there had me in her corner and I totally justified the decisions she makes in order to leave the life of a factory girl behind.And honestly, who wouldn't?Never mind that `good girls don't act like that' tone we get from her mother and friends (we're in Chicago in 1941) which really just kind of grates on my nerves, but does add to the story.

In the past, I have also liked the bad boys, and that also helped me to identify with Ruby.Sometimes the bad boys are just so danged intriguing!Paulie is Ruby's bad boy of choice.She knows he's got a bad reputation, knows her mom doesn't want her to see him, knows that he steals and subconsciously she knows he could and probably does worse, but she blocks that out.After all, he got her that great dress to wear at the job he recommended she try: that of a taxi dancer. Ruby's story really revolves around her job as a taxi dancer and learning the ropes of how to reel in fishes (guys who will fork over their money), all the while lying to her mom and sister saying she's a telephone operator.Her mother is amazing to me in that at first she questions the money and the things that Ruby is bringing home, but she soon stops.Their life has become so much easier!Their rent is all paid up, there's coal in the bin for the winter, and food besides beans on the table.Ruby intends on keeping it that way, but the question becomes: just how far will she go?

Honestly, Ruby went farther than what I thought she would.But she also learns some valuable life lessons on the way: nothing in life is free (especially when it deals with gifts and favors from men - particularly in this time period and setting), Paulie is not necessarily as wonderful as she first thought, your younger siblings do watch how you behave, and just how do you go back to being a kid after having to be an adult?I find that last question the most fascinating quality of this book: Ruby wonders how she could ever go back to her boring old canning factory life (or even school) knowing what she knows now about the way men and women operate, and the world in general.I think that there are probably a lot of kids out there who do something they know their parents will not be happy about.I would hope that most parents would be forgiving and help their child learn from their mistakes, but while that may not always be the case, it's important for kids (and adults) to know that you can change what you've become.Ruby has given me faith that people can change for the better.

Notes on the Cover:
I love Ruby's profile at the top with the black background throughout.I love the red font of the title, and I particularly love the men in the pinstripe suits and hats at the bottom.I want to be in Chicago in 1941!I also want to go to a taxi dance hall!

A Jazzy, Heart-breaking Story...
Rating: 4.5

Ten Cents A Dance was a jazzy, heart-breaking story of a fifteen year old girl trying to support her family in the 1940's. The dialogue of the era was spot on and it flowed perfectly with the plot. Ruby, was a good girl at heart with a mind of a strong-willed woman. Her innocence was respectable but flawed by her poor judgment. The moment she fell for the neighborhood's bad boy her life changed. He introduced her to the job of a taxi dancer, a job where women paraded themselves in dancing with men seeking a good time. At first, she didn't fit in but once she got the hang of it nothing stood in her way.

However, it wasn't all fun and games. This job was a dangerous playground if you got caught up in the game of manipulation. She sometimes had to sacrifice her boundaries and values for the price of money. Ruby was alone with this secret, to her mother she was a telephone operator. But, in order to keep her family life afloat she had to swallow her pride and continue to work. She and her family started living comfortably once the money started rolling in. However, Ruby passed through a lot of bumps that forever changed the little girl her mother once knew. I admired her struggle to save herself and figure out the best alternative for her future. I really enjoyed this book because I felt like I was with Ruby on her journey to self-discovery. Also, the 1940's dancing scene was fun, it made me want to learn the jitterbug and all the old school dances. I look forward to reading more works by Christine, she has a way of capturing her audience and leaving them wanting more.

And Another Book Read Reviews
It's 1941, fifteen year old Ruby and her sister and mother live in Chicago's meat packing district. Ruby has had to drop out of school in order to go and pickle hog's feet after her mother has to quit her job because of illness. When the local bad boy, Paulie Suezle, tells Ruby he knows a place where she can make $50 a week, she jumps at the opportunity, even if she knows her mother won't approve. The idea of the job gets even better when Ruby learns she will be working at the Starlight Dancing Academy. Even though she is naive at first she soon learns that she has become a taxi-dancer. Men pay a dime for a chance to dance with a pretty girl and the illusion that these girls are interested in them. Not minding the job too much, especially because she loves to dance, Ruby soon finds herself making quite a bit of money, but also getting into an equal amount of trouble. With the aid of her only friend at Starlight, Peggy, Ruby learns the ropes of becoming a taxi-dancer. Will lying to her mother about her job be worth it in the end? Will she get a happily ever after love story?

What I was expecting was a good book. Historical fiction is right up my alley and I'm not too familiar with this particular time period, except for the whole war, but that's not too prominent in this particular book. What I got was a great novel filled with a strong heroine and a fascinating plot. It's been a long time since I read a book where I was immediately drawn to the strength of a character. Ruby was strong willed and determined to help her family what ever it took. At some times I felt she was a little stubborn, but still came to respect her. I also thought that the spectator characters were really developed. I especially enjoyed Yvonne, who was Ruby's biggest instigator at Starlight. She was so funny and she reminded me a lot of my younger sister, always stirring the pot! I also loved how Christine Fletcher wrote about a time that isn't as well known. Yes we all probably know all about World War 2, but do we really know what was happening to the normal people in America? Another great thing was the book was really easy to get into. The author had me absorbed into Ruby's story as soon as Ruby set foot into her first dance. Overall I was very impressed with Christine Fletcher's second novel and will definitely go back and read her other book, Tallulah Falls, and will eagerly anticipate her future works.

Bad boys and secrets are hard to keep
This book takes place in Chicago in the 1940's and it's awesome!Ruby had to quit school and work in the stockyards when she was 15, but she's pretty and so got a job as a "taxi dancer," dancing with guys for ten cents a dance.All of a sudden, her life involves stockings and ball gowns and glamour.But she has to keep her job a secret from her mom, who wouldn't approve.Her mom also doesn't approve of a certain guy with a bad reputation whom Ruby can't help but fall in love.Some would say this book is about growing up to fast.It's also about making moral decisions and war and racism.I was pulled into this exciting and glamorous novel.Great coming-of-age story! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

MoonCalf, Come Here!!
A twisted little short story. Everything takes place during a brief summer vacation. Love traingle, which brings upon unprecedented mayhem. A good spine tingler to read.

MoonCalf, Come Here!!
A twisted little short story. Everything takes place during a brief summer vacation. Love traingle, which brings upon unprecedented mayhem. A good spine tingler to read.

A TRAGIC TALE OF LOVE AND MURDER!!
Douglas Clegg is an author that one can easily become addicted to. He has a rather unique style of writing that slowly lures the reader in with its insight into humanity's mixed emotions and with carefully drawn characters that literally reach out for compassion and understanding. There's no better example of this than in Mr. Clegg's novella, PURITY, which has been printed in a beautifully designed, autographed, limited edition by Cemetery Dance Publications. PURITY is the tragic story of eighteen-year-old Owen Crites, the son of the Montgomery estate's gardener and caretaker. The estate is located off the coasts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts on Outerbridge Island. Every year, the Montgomery family spends the summer at their estate, bringing their young daughter, Jena, with them. Suffice it to say that Owen has loved Jena with (as Poe would write) a love that is more than a love for many years. Though he comes from a low-to-middle income family, Owen believes that he has a chance to win Jena's heart before she goes off to college. He has trained his mind and conditioned his body to make himself more attractive and appealing to her, but is it enough? Owen doesn't think so. Years before, at the age of twelve, he found an ancient statue of a god while exploring one of the many caverns on the island. He named the statue Dagon, after the Fish-God of the Philistines from the Bible, and hid it amongst the rocks in a small pond on the estate's property, waiting until the time came when he would finally need the ancient God's help in acquiring an obtainable goal. When Jena arrives on the island, by way of a sailboat, accompanied by her new boyfriend, Jimmy, our lovelorn teenager realizes that the moment has come to ask Dagon to give him the person of his dreams, no matter what the cost. If he can't compete against Jimmy for Jena's affections, then he'll find another way to win her heart, even if it means murder. Though only 118 pages in length, PURITY is rich in scope as the reader enters the mind of a young man and discovers how painful rejected love can be, more so when your rival is caught making love to the object of your affection. Mr. Clegg brilliantly captures the complexity of emotions that teenagers are filled with. He writes about the purity and innocence of love that only the young can know, while at the same time examining how the structure of marriage can nurture the lack of passion and romance as it does between Owen's parents and Jena's. Life is seldom easy, or viewed with a clarity that can only come with personal growth and maturity. It is certainly less so when you're a teenager with no social standing, trying to win the heart of a wealthy debutante. Subtle, yet poignant, PURITY is a tale that offers a brief glimpse into a world that might have been, reminding us of memories best forgotten, and of a longing that could never be filled. Though different from Douglas Clegg's other works and with less supernatural overtones, it nevertheless displays his remarkable talent as a writer and his ability to create characters that are but a reflection of who we are as human beings. The cover design and artwork by Gail Cross on this limited edition is beautiful to behold with its tapestry of greens and gold that perfectly depict the essence of the story and the approaching storm of tragedy about to unfold within. This Cemetery Dance edition of PURITY would definitely make an ideal gift for someone who loves books and is an avid fan of Douglas Clegg!

A nasty character study by a Master!
PURITY is a slim novella by one of the best writers in the horror genre.It is a character study of Owen Crites, a misfit who falls in love with a society girl and will do anything to have her.If it is her lover, mother, father...Owen does not care.Clegg defines the limits this Owen will go...there aren't any.A very nasty work of fiction.Very personable and will make your skin crawl.The surprise ending is one of the best in the last few years.Great stuff!

An Unexpected Pleasure!
Because I had not yet read a novel by Douglas Clegg, I took on"Purity" as a way to introduce myself to a new horror author,something I find myself reluctant to do these days considering the amountof trash that is published.At just shy of 120 pages and as suspenceful asit is, "Purity" probably shouldn't be classified as a true horrorstory even with it's use of H.P. Lovecraft's"Dagon."

"Purity," the short story of a misunderstoodboy in love with the girl he could never have, evokes such incredibleimagery and emotion that I was left wanting more.It's not often that anauthor has an ability tap into every character's head as well as DouglasClegg has.It's difficult for one to find much fault with the maincharacter, Owen, despite his admitted obsession for Jenna or because of hismanipulation of other characters.Even his worshipping of an uglyfish-like statue, Dagon, isn't as creepy as it should be only because we'vebeen given a chance to feel sorry for him.On the other hand, the readergrows to despise his love interest, Jenna, for the spoiled rich kid thatshe is.And the love triangle that unravels between Owen, Jenna and hernew boyfriend is convincingly real, filled with just the right amount oftiwsts and an explosive climax.

"Purity" is a highlyrecommended book, even at a hefty $30 price tag for it's limited editionrun. ... Read more

Product Description
"Landy's book is a useful blessing. . . . [The book] raises queries on the uses of historical films, their genres, and what they are meant to convey, in a way that opens the reader to inquiry into current theoretical bases for film study. Thus it invites a film programmer to analyze a genre of film and its impact."-The Public Historian What is history? How do we represent it? How do our notions of history change over time? The essays in The Historical Film: History and Memory in Media probe the roles that cinema and television play in altering and complicating our understanding of historical events. The book brings together representative examples of how both media critics and historians write about history as it is created and disseminated through film and television. The essays explore what is at stake culturally and politically in media history and how this form of history-making is different from traditional historiography. The volume is divided into four parts--Regarding History; History as Trauma; History, Fiction, and Postcolonial Memory; and History and Television--that progressively deepen our understanding of just how complex the issues are. Essays by top scholars analyze many different kinds of film: historical film, documentary, costume drama, and heritage films. The section on television is equally broad, examining phenomena as diverse as news broadcasts and Ken Burns's documentary The Civil War. Contributors are Mbye Cham, George F. Custen, Mary Ann Doane, Richard Dienst, Taylor Downing, Gary Edgerton, Naomi Greene, Miriam Bratu Hansen, Sue Harper, Sumiko Higashi, Anton Kaes, Marcia Landy, Shawn Rosenheim, Robert A. Rosenstone, Pierre Sorlin, Maria Wyke, and Ismail Xavier.A volume in the Depth of Field Series, edited by Charles Affron, Mirella Jona Affron, and Robert LyonsMarcia Landy is Distinguished Service Professor of English and film studies at the University of Pittsburgh. She is the author of many books, including The Folklore of Consensus: Theatricality and Spectacle in Italian Cinema, 1929-1943. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's preservation reformatting program. ... Read more