Ethel Rosenberg: An American Tragedy

This is a heart-wrenching biography of Ethel Rosenberg, a wife and mother whose execution for espionage-related crimes during the Cold War shocked the world. In June 1953, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, a couple with two young sons, were led separately from their prison cells on Death Row and executed moments apart. Both had been convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage for the Soviet Union, despite the weak evidence.

Ethel, a bright girl who had dreams of becoming an opera singer, found herself struggling with the social norms of the 1950s. She yearned to be a devoted wife and mother, while grappling with the paranoia of the McCarthy era, anti-Semitism, misogyny. Ethel’s unwavering love, loyalty to her husband compelled her to refuse to incriminate him, even under government pressure. She bravely faced the death penalty for a crime she didn’t commit, orphaning her children.

(This book may contain a sharpie mark on the top or bottom edge and may show mild signs of shelfwear.)