“… a hilarious story that perfectly captures the insanity of the time. The story had a 'Dr. Strangelove' feel to it with so many zany characters.” - Albany Times Union
Cover art by Alex Hughes
a beautiful, young Communist whose fiery speeches are as hot as the tight, red dresses she wears on stage. But Martha loses this glamorous life when she is sent to Schenectady under orders to marry Milo Milwaukee, the diminutive leader of GE’s largest union. What Martha and the Communists don’t realize is that Milo is only pretending to be a Red. In the spring of 1950, this is a dangerous game because Communism is Public Enemy Number One. Warnings are everywhere: from anti-Communist bubble gum cards to Loyalty Boards investigating people for “suspicious” behavior. Soon Joseph McCarthy will bumble his way to Schenectady, searching for hidden communists like Martha, and even fakers like Milo. Killing McCarthy may be their only way out if Martha and Milo don’t kill each other first. “When Mommy Was a Commie” is a hilarious romp through Schenectady of the early 1950s and is inspired by the outlandish, real-life episodes that took place during America’s spy war with Russia and the Cold War that continues today.
The big city tabloids call her the “Red Flame of New York,”
In the news
“CAPITAL TONIGHT SPECTRUM NEWS”
Albany reporter Jon Sorensen pens comic novel based on Joe McCarthy’s ‘Last Hurrah”
TIMES UNION BOOK REVIEW
”COVID reflections, communism and more in Capital Region books, authors”
What’s the skinny?
“If you are a fan of Kurt Vonnegut's novels, there is good news for you all. Jon Sorensen will likely be hailed universally as the new Vonnegut with the appearance of his debut novel, "When Mommy Was A Commie." Full of the colorful characters, wacky situations and make-you-laugh-out-loud writing, this is a book that will keep you reading for "just another page" and then "just another chapter." It will all be over much too quickly.”
— Marc Humbert, New York State chief political writer for The Associated Press for 25 years (retired)
“Jon Sorensen has set us up for a joyride of reading, taking us into a Schenectady, New York of commies and come-ons, where the men have big hair and the women have big plans for America. Who knew that the Electric City was such a live wire and hotbed of subversive activity and who knew it could all be so much damn fun?”
— Marion Roach Smith, author, The Memoir Project, A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text for Writing & Life
“Jon Sorensen's novel accurately captures both the pervasive fear and absurdity of an America struggling to grapple with Communism. He tells the story with a sense of humor and the knowledge that the world his characters live in is not too far removed from our present moment. This hilarious trip through Cold War Schenectady serves as a cautionary tale for those who would be King.”
— Jacob Houser, author, When the World Seemed New: UE Local 301 and the Decline of the American Labor Movement
Events
THE AUTHOR.
An award-winning newspaper reporter (from the Schenectady Gazette and Troy Record to the Buffalo News and New York Daily News), Jon Sorensen has also been a consumer protection investigator and a public relations director for several government agencies. When Mommy Was a Commie is his first novel.