This book filled in some gaps in my knowledge of Ethel (and Julius) Rosenberg. The author has clearly done her research and did an excellent job of humanizing Ethel. I did find the writing a bit strained at times but my interest in the subject matter helped me gloss over those rough patches of prose.

Was very slow to start but did get better as it went on. It took me a long time to get through the book unfortunately. However I very much enjoyed the overall story was really a fascinating and even inspiring read about someone who reached her goals and stood her ground even with a grim outcome in her future.

I was very interested in learning more about the Rosenbergs. It's obvious the author did a lot of research about them but unfortunately, this book was just very dry and plodding. It just could not hold my attention.

This book was fascinating. It provides an interesting perspective of the Cold War fear of the Soviet Union. The book is written with a balance of narrative history, criminal investigation, court roomdrama, and government conspiracy. The author paints both a realistic and sympathetic portrait of the Rosenbergs.

The author's position on the guilt or innocence of Ethel Rosenberg is clear to see from the beginning of the book. There is some repetition in the storytelling that does not fit well together. It may have been meant as a coming full circle from the introduction to a certain point in the writing. However, it just makes the plotline awkward, as if I was having a dejavu.

This is a very detailed, straight-forward book on the Rosenberg crimes with a focus on Ethel and how she got to where she was. I did not know much about the couple prior to reading this book, so I enjoyed getting a first-hand look at Ethel. While I enjoyed it, the book did feel like an academic report rather than a non-fiction book. Overall, though, it was pretty good!

My knowledge of American history (even with being an American) is only brief at best. Like, can we be real and say Europe has the best history with medieval wackadoodles and human rights atrocities that actively allow us to root for their demise and cheer on when crowns and monarchies fall? Just me?

Anyways, we haven't had anything that spicy in the US - <i>minus the human rights atrocities like slavery and our modern prison system but I digress</i> - so what I know about Ethel Rosenberg is what I remember from my US history class in high school...meaning not much.

This was a bit dry, but well-researched and attempted to show both sides to the Rosenbergs. We also get a look at what happened to future generations of the Rosenberg family as well.

Overall, it was ok - just not necessarily my cup of tea in terms of a biography. But I am glad I explored it.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley for a free digitial copy to rate and review</i>

Impressive biography of Ethel Rosenberg, a controversial female figure in Cold War history. This book does an excellent job gently raising important themes in the social history of intelligence, including a look at Ethel that embraces the full scope of feminist/gender analysis without letting it take over the book. Thoughtful and detailed narrative highlights the impressive research behind this volume.

Fascinating story of Ethel Rosenberg and her husband Julius who were accused of being spies and passing secrets from the Oppenheimer project at Los Alamos to build the atomic bomb to the Russians. Lots of detailed research. The author may be slightly slanted in favor of Ethel, but after reading the book I completely agree with her hypothesis. A completely different time in America. Was the crime sufficient to warrant the death penalty and was she framed? Only you can be your own judge after reading this extremely interesting account.

I was sad I didn't enjoy this more. I love history (both fictional and non) and I honestly knew nothing about the Rosenbergs so I was pretty excited to learn a true part of our history.

Alas, while the author of this book most definitely did their research I honestly felt like I was in school while reading this. It was really boring to me, especially the second half. Very dry. Unfortunately, I barely paid attention the second half and the last 10% was the worst. Glad I learned a little about them, just didn't love the way it was told.

I was intrigued by the untold story of Ethel Rosenberg as described in the synopsis. Sadly, though it was obviously a passion project for the author, it failed to deliver for me. Throughout I felt that the story of Rosenberg was supported by equal parts research and supposition. I went in looking for a fleshed out woman, wife, mother, partner. But in the end, the three dimensional woman perhaps caught up in ideology, perhaps seeking something greater than herself failed to materialize.

For history buffs, you will enjoy the details of this book. As a child born in the late 50’s, I learned about a women I knew nothing about. Was Ethel executed for spying, or was she a scapegoat? The book was set during the period of the Cold War and McCarthyism. Anne Shebba’s research of Ethel is intensive. Overall, I enjoyed book.

Thank you #NetGalley, #SaintMartinPress and #AnneShebba for the advance readers copy for my honest review

This is a nonfiction book and by the way it's presented we can tell Ethel Rosenberg's life has been meticulously researched by author Anne Sebba.
In June 1953, married couple Julius and Ethel Rosenberg who had two young sons were led separately from their cells on death row and electrocuted just moments apart. As they were being led to the chair they did not cry out or fight it they went calmly.
We see Ethel's life as it unfolds for her as a child and teen and feel the coldness of her mother's betrayal and rejection. She didn't want her. One thing was very clear, how much Ethel adored her children. It was interesting reading the details of her trial for espionage-related crimes, of which I didn't see any hard evidence presented. Because of deep love for her husband Julius, she refused to say anything negative against him in court essentially courageously facing the death penalty which left her children orphans after her execution.
Eyeopening tragedy!

Pub Date 08 Jun 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Ethel Rosenberg: An American Tragedy by Anne Sebba is an interesting book to read. It is based on historical events I have never heard of before. Four stars.

Due to life, I wasn't able to get through this book as quickly as I had hoped, but I finally got it done! The Rosenbergs have always fascinated me, with Ethel in particular. Scape goat, probably. Worthy of death, yeah, no. Definitely worth the read if you have any interest in the Rosenbergs in particular or about spies or the Cold War. I highly recommend it!

This was a fun and interesting read about the fate of Ethel Rosenberg. Tried for Treason, this is the story of how Ethel came to be on trial and the story of her trial. I have heard about this story for a long time, but this is the actual full story. I enjoyed learning about Ethel and that time in history.

I primarily listened to this book, but also peaked into the ebook version to see what the book look liked in version of "print."

Almost every time I read a book about a woman in history who should be famous and well known, I go and read all the news articles and things I can find and I get frustrated that I didn't learn this before my current age! Ethel Rosenberg was one of those women and the way the author laid out her story and presented her as a full woman who was a mother and a wife but had interests of her own, I really appreciated the way the author put together all the facts of this woman's life and the downfall she endured.

I would say this book would be a great pairing with Red Letter Days by Sarah Jane Stratford. A fiction book set in the same time that focuses more on the Hollywood impact of the threat of spies and communism, but a great companion read!

I was really intrigued about this book after reading the synopsis. I had not heard of Ethel Rosenberg before. Unfortunately, it ended up falling a little flat for me. The story was a little tedious and got bogged down in details that I didn’t really care to read about. There were some interesting parts and you could tell a lot of research was put into this book. I’m pretty particular about my non-fiction and don’t pick it up super often outside of memoirs so this is just my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I remember, as a child sitting at the supper table, my parents discussing the deaths of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg by electrocution, and the fact that their two young children were left orphans. My parents expressed the opinion that it had been wrong to kill Ethel, as she probably had little to do with the spying case. Many years later, Anne Sebba decided to look into the facts surrounding the case. By this time, many documents had been released and more information was available, including the letters written by Ethel while she was imprisoned at Sing-Sing, in solitary confinement. Many of the principals in this case were very elderly or had already died. Sebba spent several years investigating and digging out information, piecing the events together.
The early 1950s were a time of Red Scare, of McCarthyism, and a fear of Communism. Julius and Ethel were part of the Communist party in the United States, as were many Eastern European Jewish immigrants of that day. Living in New York, in almost overwhelming poverty, why would they not want things to be better and many people thought the Communist party could help make things better. Ethel's brother, David Greenglass, became a low-level spy, working at Los Alamos, and giving secrets to the Russians through an elaborate network set up to protect all the individuals in the spy ring.
When finally brought to trial, the trial was riddled with problems. Ethel had been held in solitary confinement for many months - during this time she was allowed no visits with Julius or her children. Ethel and Julius were given very little time with their lawyer to prepare for the trial, the judge openly sided with the prosecution, and David Greenglass perjured himself and allowed his sister to be thrown under the bus. Greenglass did manage to save himself and his wife by doing this. Even in old age, he felt no guilt for what he had done. Attorney Roy Cohn made his mark with this trial, and continued on to become one of the most dishonest attorneys of all time.
The world was in protest over the case, but the FBI felt they had to make an example of the Rosenbergs, so the executions took place. It was a time of misinformation, and extreme bias, along with a crooked legal system. The book is a timely read for the times we live in today.

The true story of Ethel Rosenberg is something that I knew next to nothing about. This biography is excellently researched and follows Ethel’s early life all the way past her death by execution. I appreciated the author exploring their children’s lives in the aftermath. While this biography was a bit dry, I now know much more about the story. Reading this biography has also caused me to think more deeply about some heavy topics…the death penalty, feminism, political ideologies. I’m smarter for having read this.

This was a great book. Clearly and concisely, it tells the story of how Ethel Rosenberg was railroaded by the government for her husban'ds crimes.