Ten Cents a Dance

Ten Cents a Dance, the second novel from Christine Fletcher, is a riveting tale about a 15-year old girl living near the slaughter yards in 1940s Chicago. When her Polish-American father died, her Irish-American mother went to work for a meat-packing house, doing dangerous, thankless work for very little pay to support her daughters. When she is nearly crippled with rheumatoid arthritis, it is up to Ruby to quit school and support her family. Ruby quickly sees that this work will make her old in just a few years and will never earn them enough to get out of debt and poverty and when local bad boy Pauly tells her she could be making $50 bucks a week taxi dancing, Ruby jumps at the chance. But taxi dancing, or dancing with men for ten cents a dance plus tips at a dance hall, is not considered respectable work, and Ruby must hide what she does from her family while providing them with the money they need to improve their lives.

Ruby grows up quickly in this world of men, racism, jazz clubs, and chop suey joints, learning that the only way to make the big money is to reel in the "big fish" who will pay for dinners, clothes, and other luxuries. Ruby has talent and could be the best of the bunch, but is she willing to pay the price to get there?

Interestingly, the author wrote the book after learning that one of her ancestors had worked as a taxi dancer in secret, which led her to research the "ten cents a dance" girls. Rich in period detail, this fascinating and fast-paced novel had me hooked from page one. It has drama, suspense, history, and romance all rolled up into one and this book would certainly get my vote for a Printz award. This is an author to keep your eye on.