Mobsters threaten Sal’s Italian immigrant family in the Deep South in 1925. But police corruption and bigotry preempt help from authorities, and the thugs coerce assistance from Sal’s father, using Sal as a hostage. Now thirteen-year-old Sal must find a way to protect his father from jail and his family from the mobsters’ retaliation.
Mobsters in the roaring 20s with a southern country turn, the Other Side of Freedom provides suspense and tension throughout with interesting and ethnically diverse characters. Sal has a moral dilemma, tell the truth and maybe prevent the mobsters from more robbing and murdering, or obey your parents and protect your innocent father from going to jail. The relational twist at the end also made for a satisfying read.
Age Range: 10-18
Genre: Historical, Suspense
Write Integrity Press, 2017
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