Ethel Rosenberg cover art

Ethel Rosenberg

The Short Life and Great Betrayal of an American Wife and Mother

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Ethel Rosenberg

By: Anne Sebba
Narrated by: Orlagh Cassidy
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About this listen

Ethel Rosenberg was a supportive wife, loving mother to two small children and courageous idealist who grew up during the Depression with aspirations to become an opera singer.

On 19 June 1953 she became the first woman in the US to be executed for a crime other than murder. She was thirty-seven years old.

Ethel's conviction for conspiracy to commit espionage on behalf of the Soviet Union followed what FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover called the 'trial of the century' in Cold War America and is still controversial. Now, Anne Sebba's masterly, meticulously researched and deeply moving biography finally tells Ethel's true story - a life barbarically cut short on the basis of tainted evidence for a crime she almost certainly did not commit.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Anne Sebba (P)2021 Orion Publishing Group 20th Century Historical Modern Women Crime Inspiring Celebrity Socialism Marriage

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Critic reviews

Short-listed, Wingate Prize, 2022

"I don't think I've ever read a book that has moved me more." (Anthony Horowitz)

"Masterful, original and painfully gripping, a historic miscarriage of justice laid bare for our times." (Philippe Sands)

"Absolutely gripping in so many ways; beautifully written and superbly researched, a brilliant and fresh take on a famous case." (Simon Sebag Montefiore)
All stars
Most relevant
This telling of the Rosenbergs' story manages to combine the enormity of the fear of communism in 50s America with a touching, intimate portrait of a marriage.
It's a story that still shocks and sadly still resonates - the evident misogyny she faced, especially.

Fascinating story, well told

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Anne Sebba’s account of Ethel Rosenberg’s life and execution is completely gripping, giving an insight into the period and the personality of both Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. A profoundly sad story, beautifully recounted.

Fascinating and tragic

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