The After Party by Anton DiSclafani

It's 1957 in Houston, Texas where the days are long, hot, and  money is to be made in the Texan oil fields. While the men are off working in the oilfields or for large oil companies, the women live a high society kind of life focused on debutante balls, garden club meetings, beautiful dresses, and perfectly decorated homes. Living this lavish lifestyle are two best friends Joan and Cece. Joan has always been beautiful and sought after and Cece has always tried to stay out of the limelight, while acting as Joan's protector. When Joan's life begins to spiral out of control shrouded in secrets, Cece is the one left trying to put the pieces back together, even if it risks losing her marriage.

The After Party is a beautifully written photograph of the late 1950s, showcasing secrets, female friendship, love, and sexuality.

In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume

It's 1952 in Elizabeth, New Jersey. World War II has just ended and life in suburbia has just begun, but for residents of Elizabeth, New Jersey the shock and horror of previous years aren't over. In an unlikely event, three passenger planes enroute to Newark airport, crash in the small town of Elizabeth. In the Unlikely Event primarily tells the story of Miri Ammerman, a young woman, trying to figure out life as a teenager. Suddenly her world changes following the three unconnected plane crashes. Although much of the story is told through Miri, Judy Blume weaves together the lives and stories of three generations of family, friends, and strangers as they deal with first loves, marriages, and friendships. The story, which develops around the plane crashes, is so much more than that. It provides a glimpse into the lives of several families, often who try desperately to keep secrets hidden away. It's a close look at the early 1950s when things like sex, racial profiling, and mental illness were the secrets that stayed hidden.

In the Unlikely Event, is Judy Blume's third adult novel. Typically known for writing children's books Blume is as in her element with adult books. Though this is a work of historical fiction, Blume writes what she knows. Having grown up in Elizabeth, New Jersey,  witnessing the plane crashes she writes as if it all happened yesterday. It's hard not to see a little bit of Judy Blume in fifteen year old Miri Ammerman.

The Hours Count by Jillian Cantor

From the author of Margot, comes a new historical fiction book set in New York from 1947-1953. In The Hours Count, Cantor begins to weave the story of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg and Millie Stein together. Millie, her Russian immigrant husband Ed, and toddler son David, who doesn't speak, have just moved to the more upscale Knickerbocker Village apartments. Ed pays no attention to Millie or David as he's gone to work all day and comes home to drown his sorrows with vodka. Feeling completely alone and in desperate need for a friend, Millie meets her neighbor Ethel Rosenberg, and they bond over motherhood.

With World War II just over and the Soviet Union becoming more powerful, the United States is on the brink of the Cold War. With Communism, Joe McCarthy's Communist hunt, espionage, and the threat of an atomic bomb on the horizon, much of America is on high alert. When Millie meets Jake, a psychotherapist, at a party held by the Rosenbergs, she begins to question everything about her life. Is Ed really who he says he is? Could he be a KBG spy? As Jake works with David on his speech issues, it's clear to see that Jake isn't necessarily who he says he is either. Millie and Ethel's friendship winds together even more as the FBI begins to close in the Rosenbergs. As she sees her friend's life begin to unravel, Millie begins to realize that her life isn't what she once she thought either.

Paying close attention to detail, Cantor paints a clear picture of the hysteria that ensued surrounding McCarthy's Communist witch hunt. Although Millie is a fictional character, Cantor has researched the Rosenbergs and told an interesting story of a dark time in American history.

Some Luck by Jame Smiley

Jane Smiley’s newest novel is the first in The Last Hundred Years trilogy.  The Pulitzer prize winning author intends to cover 100 years in the life of an Iowa farm family and the first novel, Some Luck, covers the years 1920-1953.  Smiley follows the Langdon family of Denby, Iowa through childbirth, death, the Great Depression and World War II in a unique fashion.  Not only does the author write from many of the different characters points of view, but each chapter itself represents one year. 

We begin with Walter, the 25 year-old father and owner of the farm.  His wife Rosanna is about to give birth to their first child, Frank, and he is ruminating on all of the things that farmers think about: which crops to plant this year, how many animals are there to take care of and can I really afford to farm all of this land? As the years move forward, Smiley introduces us to all of the Langdon children: Frank, Joe, Mary Elizabeth, Lillian, Henry and Claire and their unique personalities.  We see Walter struggle with changing technologies (horses vs. tractors) and Rosanna has her own challenges with loss and religion. 

Each of the Langdon children is different than the last, and we hear a lot from the point of view of Frank, the handsomest and, arguably, the most cunning Langdon child.  When the US gets involved in World War II, he joins the army and becomes a sniper while his sensitive younger brother Joe stays home on a II-A deferment and takes care of the family farm.  Lillian falls in love with a handsome stranger and Henry devours books as fast as he can get his hands on them.  The reader is quickly absorbed into the world that Smiley creates and is soon laughing and crying along with the family. 

Some Luck has been shortlisted for the National Book Award and is a profound family saga.