Betrayal

The Ethel Rosenberg Story

By: Alisa M. Parenti

Narrated by: Alisa M. Parenti

This is the miracle of life over death, of a tiny sprout peeking up through a crack in the concrete. It is always bravely pushing upward to the bright and beautiful sun.

Betrayal: The Ethel Rosenberg Story follows the case of the “Atomic Spy” Julius Rosenberg and his wife, Ethel. In this historical fiction novel, Alisa Parenti takes listeners from the tenement halls of the Lower East Side to the walls of Sing Sing as the United States is engulfed by the “Red Scare”. Ethel, the first woman on death row for conspiracy to commit espionage, speaks with Mary Wurth, a young reporter from Queens looking to prove her worth.

With the world divided on whether Ethel should live or die, Mary struggles to understand what it means to be an American, and is enamored with the prospect of seeing the true Ethel. Betrayal explores issues deeply impacting our world, such as the unequal treatment of women, the debate on capitalism versus socialism, and growing nationalism around the globe. Ultimately, this audiobook asks listeners what it really means to betray - or to be betrayed.

©2021 Alisa M. Parenti (P)2022 Alisa M. Parenti

Thought provoking storytelling

The author/narrator opened my eyes as she vividly provided new context to a story I thought I knew. It was a thought provoking story as I learned there was much more to Ethel Rosenberg’s life and tragic death.

A fresh take on a sad tale

“Betrayal” is a terrific new take on a story about important events in American history that are often as sad as they are misunderstood. The story she tells is that of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who allegedly stole nuclear weapon plans from the US defense department, and delivered them to rude Soviets. A surprising number of firsthand witnesses to the events described in the book - from the arrest and trial, to imprisonment and execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg - are still skittish about speaking on the record (even today, 70+ years on), author Alisa Parenti does a terrific job putting some meat on the bones of the personalities involved. It’s easy to forget this is an historical novel.

Parenti has done painstaking research and it shows. I was left with what I believe is a much better understanding of this landmark case that kicked off Sen . Joseph McCarthy and the Red Scare of the 1950s.

I would recommend this read to anyone who wants to know more than just the headlines of the case that made it into the history books.

I also took the author’s advice and looked up some additional source material she cites, including the fascinating documentary, “Heir to an Execution.” (I found it available on HBO). The film was written, directed and hosted by documentary filmmaker Ivy Meeropol, who is the granddaughter of the Rosenbergs. She gets family members to open up like few outsiders could, and even then it was a painful emotional journey.

Kudos to Parenti for taking on this subject, and for having the experience and creativity to give herself a little latitude to paint in some minor but necessary details that made the book as interesting as it is.
- Dave Thompson