Title: Rumors of Peace
Author: Ella Leffland
Edition: Perennial Library, 1985
(first published in 1979 by Harper & Row)
Setting: WWII era small, industrial
town east of San Francisco, CA
Genre: Coming of age story
Suse Hansen is a 10 year old tomboy,
living a life of school, home, and family in her small, working class
town east of San Francisco when WWII suddenly intrudes into her life
in the form of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. This powerful,
beautifully written novel describes her moral growth from the 10 year
old whose first prayer is that the sherrif shoot the Nisei citizens
of her town to 14 year old who understands so much more about the
nature of war and the nature of human beings by the time the US drops
two atomic bombs on Japan. The bloodthirstiness (and fear) of her
youth has grown into a deeper understanding of what drives people to
fear and revenge, hate, war, and love.
Lest this all sound depressing or
boring, be assured it is neither. Like many adolescents, Suse's view
of her world: her friends, her teachers, her parents is extremely
funny at times. And the instinctual goodness of her nature makes her
question and question again how she feels about the war. She is
helped in that questioning by Helen Maria, the genius older sister of
her friend Peggy, and the example set by her loving, hard-working
parents.
The book is filled with wonderful,
vivid characters: Helena Maria and Peggy, Suse's sort-of friend
Valerie, classmate Dumb Donny (who's not so dumb at all), good-time
girl Eudene, and assorted teachers and parents.
Don't miss this neglected classic.
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