In the Unlikely Event

In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume, 401 pages

In December 1951, an airplane crashed into the small town of Elizabeth, New Jersey. Over the next few months, two more planes followed suit. Adult residents blamed the proximity of the Newark airport; the kids of Elizabeth, perhaps prompted by the proximity of the crash sites to schools, suspected aliens, zombies, or a Communist plot. Told from the point of view of several characters, In the Unlikely Event documents the fear, nutty spiritualism, and everyday life in Elizabeth during that time.

This is the first adult book by Blume that I've read, and I was pleasantly surprised. She did a great job of capturing the hysteria, fear, and recklessness that gripped the community during that period, perhaps because she was a teenager living in Elizabeth when those three planes went down (yeah, that actually happened). I particularly liked the portions of the book told from the point of view of 14-year-old Miri, who I suspect is the most autobiographical character for Blume.But she does a great job with the rest of them too. Well worth a read.