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A Historical Mistake in My Next Book
Glad we caught that in time!
Jordyn Taylor
May 31, 2024
Hi, Reader!
Huge news: I have just been informed (by me, Googling) that my next book, THE REBEL GIRLS OF ROME, officially has a release date of Feb. 18, 2025, and is available for pre-order now!
What it’s about: THE REBEL GIRLS OF ROME is a historical YA thriller that jumps back and forth in time between present-day and WW2 Rome. It follows Lilah, a Jewish college student whose understanding of her family’s history is upended when a locket stolen by the Nazis is rediscovered, launching her on an adventure through Rome as she tries to figure out what happened to her great-aunt Bruna, long believed to have died in Auschwitz.
While researching REBEL GIRLS (and traveling to Rome in 2022), I learned so much Italian history—not just about WW2, but the entire fascist period under Mussolini, and what it was like to be Jewish, queer, and a woman during that time. (Spoiler alert: this book is about queer Jewish teens fighting Nazis. Again, I’m just gonna leave that pre-order link here.)
To make sure I represented this period of history as accurately as possible, I recruited the help of Dr. Gabriella Romano, a scholar who specializes in the history of sexuality and homosexuality in Italy’s fascist period, as well as women’s history. While Dr. Romano helped ensure I got Bruna’s story just right, she also pointed out a historical mistake I’d made in the manuscript…
…involving parakeets.
If you’ve been to Rome, then you’ve probably seen the bright-green parakeets all over the city. I was so delighted by them when I was there, that I naturally mentioned the parakeets in the present-day and WW2 portions of the book.
Well, it turns out, the parakeets weren’t there in 1943. They arrived in the city more recently—thanks to climate change. Bleak…but still, I was grateful to make the correction before the book went to print!
Join me at the Bronx Book Festival!
On Saturday, June 8, I’ll be speaking on a panel of fabulous YA authors at the 7th annual Bronx Brook Festival!
YA That Brings the Thrills and Chills
YA Fantasy, Thriller, & Horror have been trending for awhile. Why is it the darker the book, the more enjoyable it is to read? Join Lisa Springer (There’s No Way I’d Die First), Jordyn Taylor (The Revenge Game), Madeline Claire Franklin (The Wilderness of Girls), Melissa Albert (The Bad Ones), Katherine Harbour (The Dark Fable) to find out why they love writing complex stories for teen readers.
Date: Saturday, June 8, 2024
Time: 10:15 a.m.
Location: 1 Fordham Plaza, Bronx, NY 10458
