Ten Cents a Dance

I picked this book to read because of The title: Ten Cents a Dance. It is about dancing which I love and is also a historical fiction set in the 1940's when the USA joined World War 2.

The writing is a fast paced narrative. It feels as if she is trying to tell her story in one breath sometimes. They say things differently. She turns nouns into verbs like 'jitterbugging' I like the names of the dances: jitterbug, lindy hop, etc... Makes it sound fun and interesting. She lives in The Yard, the poor part of town, but her life changes when she drops out of school and starts learning her own life lessons by all the risks that she takes.

Ruby has an abusive boyfriend but she doesnt realize this until near the end of the book. There are clues along the way but I didnt pay attention to them either until I read the book a second time. It seeems like she would never take abuse from someone. A lot of people think they would never take abuse from someone. But when they think it's for love they make excuses like Ruby did. I dont know if I would realize what kind of a guy Paulie was either. I'm glad she figured it out before he ruined her life completely. She had enough confidence to know that he wasnt good for her- in the end anyway. He seemed like the sweetest guy, taking her out and buying her pretty gowns. He was even okay with her job and didn't get jealous of her dancing with other men. (I hate it when my boyfriend would get jealous of me just hanging out with friends). But Paulie also had alternative motives. He was a theif and wanted a girl that looked good. When Ruby didnt want him anymore he tried to go for her sister, Betty, who was angry at Ruby for being out all the time. I think it would be horrible to like the same guy as your sister. It would cause a lot of jealousy and storming out. I have two sisters and it is weird enough when they like my friends too much.
I chose this book for my research paper. I've done a lot of research lately on Chicago and taxi dancing especially during the 1940's. I decided to research these topics further after reading the back of the book. The author's great aunt had been kicked out by her family and become a taxi dancer and later a mistress for a man in the mob. I liked the ending of the book because Ruby didn't end up being rejected by her family and leading a double life. It seems like I've been reading a lot of books where people have been removed from their families and must learn from their own mistakes. Ruby didn't listen to her mother and had to discover Paulie's faults on her own but she still went home and made it right in time. I'ts hard to grow up but even harder when you try too soon.