Rumors of Peace: A Novel

This book is a rarity: still in print more than 20 years after publication, and on its way to becoming an American classic. It's a World War II coming-of-age story set in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the author, Ella Leffland, lives. Susie, the protagonist, is a young girl who is placed in a school class for troubled and troublesome kids - when really she's quite bright and is just reacting to the trauma caused by screaming headlines and daily threats of bombing by the Japanese. It's a classic struggle between the pull to grow up while at the same time the urge to preserve the innocence of childhood - and it reads like nonfiction. Is it? I don't know.

I first read this book in high school on the recommendation of an english teacher. I asked why so many serious books about artistic, intellectual and sexual awakening focused on males (we'd just read James Joyce) and not females, so he suggested that I read this book on my own time, (he had enjoyed it and was considering using it for class at some time in the future). Even though it dealt with the WW-II era, which occurred long before I was born, I really related to this book and enjoyed the characters of Suse and her friends. Too many books about girls deal with the kind of transformation Suse's friend Peggy went through as if it were a good thing...as if all girls want to become cheerleaders and prom queens in high school. The part about friends growing apart was funny and sad. I liked the fact that Suse went through adolescence and awakened sexually without losing her brain or sense of self. I thought there was some nice imagery in the book too, and I enjoyed (and squirmed sympathetically during) the parts where Suse embarassed herself trying to impress her prodigal friend's peers by talking about "Rosa Luxury" the socialist agitator....and about thinking that the "crystal night" pogrom had something to do with Christmas. I can recall going through similar logical but inaccurate thought proceses and embarassing myself in similar ways as a kid! I re-read it recently and enjoyed it as much as I did nearly 20 years ago. I wish there were more similarly intelligent books out there about coming of age in America.

Yes, if I were stranded on a desert island, I'd certainly want a copy of this book with me. This well written, poignant book tells about Suse, a young girl growing up in the Bay area during WWII. It's particularly memorable for capturing her struggle to understand the war, her family and friends, and the world in general. You'll enjoy this novel very much as you watch Suse try to understand her place among these elements.I loved this book when I read it nearly 20 years ago and loved it anew when I re-read it this year.

For anyone who grew up during WWII, the truth in this novel will touch their heart. The writing is superb, the characterizations richly alive. A warm, humorous, and moving story that eloquently captures the experiences of a young girl trying to understand war, people, and herself. Leffland is one of America's finest novelists and this book is a real treasure.

Ms. Leffland captures with uncanny detail the universal struggle between growing up and clinging to the innocence of childhood. Rarely has an author so vividly captured not only the nuance of individual characters but period detail as well and ancillary historical events. There will be very few who cannot identify with the main character, Suse, and her struggles and triumphs as she develops emotionally and intellectually....one of the most satisfying novels I have ever read. Ms. Leffland's work is justifiably compared to that of Carson McCullers.