<p>In this memoir of growing up in the 1960s Cold War, Patricia Bjorklund narrates a girlhood filled with John Birch Society activism, racial tensions, concepts of sin and hell, and the ominous and omnipresent fears of nuclear apocalypse&mdash;and, conversely, the glowing redemptive powers of hope and happiness.</p>

<p>'The na&iuml;vet&eacute; and paranoia of the Cold War years are perfectly rendered in Patricia Bjorklund&rsquo;s irresistible memoir of a working-class Connecticut childhood. Khrushchev is plotting, Communism is menacing, the traditional Catholic mass is changing and her pretty, patriotic, white mom is wearing a wire and infiltrating the Black Panthers in a flip and a miniskirt. Amid all this turmoil, Patricia navigates girlhood and adolescence with a loyal heart, an observant eye, and a sarcastic wit. If you grew up in the Cold War era, you&rsquo;ll love this book for the memories it rekindles&mdash;and if you didn&rsquo;t, it will make you wish you&rsquo;d been there.'<br />
&mdash;Evelyn Somers. Associate Editor, The Missouri Review</p>