Out of the Easy
It’s 1950 and the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets. Seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her her conscience, her loyalties, and her darkest fears. Caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld, Josie must choose—between who she is now and who she longs to become, between when to hold on and how to let go.
With characters and atmosphere reminiscent of the great Southern novels, Ruta Sepetys creates a rich story of secrets, lies, and the haunting reminder that our decisions shape our destiny.
* A New York Times Bestseller
* A Carnegie Medal Nominee
Author video for Out Of The Easy
Discussion Guide for Book ClubsThe Out of the Easy discussion guide has been correlated to the Common Core Standards for grades 7 to 10. This discussion guide was created by April Whatley Bedford, the Interim Dean of the College of Education and Human Development at the University of New Orleans. She is a past president of the Children’s Literature and Reading Special Interest Group of the International Reading Association, an active member of the Children’s Literature Assembly of the National Council of Teachers of English, and a former editor of the Journal of Children’s Literature. She was the 2008 Chair of the Notable Books for a Global Society award committee and the 2011 Chair of the Notable Children’s Books in the Language Arts award committee.
The Women’s MovementA unique time in U.S. history, The Women’s Movement focused on equal opportunities for women personally, politically, and economically.
PBS Learning Media has compiled the following educational collection to support teaching the women’s movement. Have students compare and contrast Josie Moraine’s struggle for independence with the historical examples given in the videos.
Makers: Women Who Make America PBS Documentary
MAKERS: Women Who Make America (Part 1) is part of the critically acclaimed PBS documentary series which tells the story of the modern American women’s movement.
Have students watch Part 1 below and discuss how these dynamics might apply to the character of Josie Moraine in 1950’s New Orleans.
MAKERS Educator’s Guide – Discontent and Transformation
Students explore video segments from the Makers documentary on post-war housewives and discuss scenarios of possible gender discrimination.
Click HERE to download educator’s guide PDF (89Kb)
For more information on the brilliant series, please visit: MAKERS
Praise for: OUT OF THE EASY
“Irresistible from the get-go.” – Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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“Street-smart, literary and compassionate.” – The Wall Street Journal
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“Sepetys writes with rawness and palpable unease; the stakes are momentous.”
– The New York Times (Editor’s Choice)
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“It’s only her second book, and already Sepetys has become one of YA’s pre-eminent
historical novelists.” – The Orange County Register
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“A haunting peek at the life of a teenage girl in 1950’s New Orleans.” – Entertainment Weekly
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“A surefire winner.” – Kirkus (starred review)
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“Full of transporting writing, drawing you into a past that is fully reconstructed
by her superb imagination.” – The Boston Globe
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“An engrossing, substantial novel with a rich, multi-layered plot and deeply
realized characters. Unforgettable.” – Toronto Star
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“A suspenseful, action-packed story; and a coming-of-age realization that personal decisions
ultimately shape one’s future.” – School Library Journal (starred review)
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“ The legions of fans that Sepetys earned with her best-selling debut novel
will all be lining up for this.”
– Booklist
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“An absorbing page-turner.” – Bookspan
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“An even more powerful reminder that, no matter what the world hands us,
we decide whether or not we’re the heroes of our own lives.” – Cleveland Plain Dealer
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“This suspenseful novel proves Sepetys’s extraordinary versatility as a storyteller.”
– Shelf Awareness
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“Rough-edged and glamorous by turns, this is a wild ride worth taking.” – BookPage
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OUT OF THE EASY
A New York Times Bestseller
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A Junior Library Guild Book Pick
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A Carnegie Medal Nominee
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A New York Times Editor’s Choice Novel
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YALSA Top Ten Best Fiction For Young Adults
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Booklist Top 10 Best Fiction for Young Adults
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A CCBC Choice Selection
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A Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year Selection
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A Cybils Award Finalist
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Bookspan Book Club’s Top New Books of 2013
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Indie Next List Top Ten Pick
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YALSA Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults
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Barnes & Noble Best Teen Books of 2013
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Kirkus Best Teen Books of 2013
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Amazon Best Teen Books of 2013
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Newsday’s Top 10 Books of 2013
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BookPage Best Young Adult Books of 2013
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Los Angeles Public Library Best Teen Books of 2013
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Goodreads Choice Best Teen Fiction of 2013
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2013 Nerdy Award Finalist
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Amazon Spotlight Pick
INTERNATIONAL AWARDS:
Book of the Year in Spain
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Finalist for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize in the UK
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Finalist for the Prix Farniente in Belgium
STATE READING LISTS & AWARDS:
Capitol Choices’ Noteworthy Titles for Children and Teens List (DC)
Tennessee Volunteer State Book Award (TN)
Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award Master List (IN)
Texas TAYHAS State List (TX)
Nutmeg Book Award Nominee (CT)
Pennsylvania Young Readers Choice Program Master List (PA)
Westchester Fiction Honorable Mention (CA)
Abraham Lincoln Award Nominee (IL)
Flume Award Nominee (NH)
South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominee (SC)
Rhode Island Teen Book Award Nominee (RI)
Gateway Readers Award Nominee (MO)
Sequoyah State Master List (OK)
OUT OF THE EASY
America
Publisher: Philomel/Penguin
Sold by: Writers House
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Australia
Publisher: Penguin
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Czech Republic
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Spain
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Taiwan
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UK
Publisher: Penguin/Puffin
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