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Made in the U.S.A.
Made in the USA
Author: Billie Letts
Lutie McFee's history has taught her to avoid attachments...to people, to places, and to almost everything. With her mother long dead and her father long gone to find his fortune in Las Vegas, 15-year-old Lutie lives in the god-forsaken town of Spearfish, South Dakota with her twelve-year-old brother, Fate, and Floy Satterfield, the 300-poun...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780446529013
ISBN-10: 044652901X
Publication Date: 8/27/2008
Pages: 368
Rating:
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 100

3.8 stars, based on 100 ratings
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

lilpenguin avatar reviewed Made in the U.S.A. on + 43 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 15
This is the third book of hers I have read and I am not sure I would waste the money to read another one. I found this story to be dull, a slow read and more rambling than anything. The book is broke up into three parts; to me each part seemed like a mini story, they didn't flow together well. The main girl Lutie was horrible and after the third or fourth chapter I was tired of her selfish whiny ways. I loved the book Honk and Holler opening soon, I guess I was hopeing this book would be just as good but I was let down. I wouldn't buy this book, I would wait to get it free from this site or a friend. Hoenstly this has to be one of the slowest most painful stories I have read in a long time. I kept reading on hopeing it would pick up and go but it never did :(
Bonnie avatar reviewed Made in the U.S.A. on + 422 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
I found this slow in the beginning, but suddenly I couldn't wait to get back to it, then it just lost its bang. A good book for sure, far far grittier than her others, but even though I can see why the heroine had such an attitude, the author did not generate enough sympathy for a reader to really feel for her. I loved the kid brother, though as he was much more developed and sympathetic. I do wish more had been done with the circus and her practice on the wires. Too much was just glossed over in this novel for it to be a keeper.
TropicAtHeart avatar reviewed Made in the U.S.A. on + 32 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
I literally could not pry this book from my fingers. I read the entire thing in a day from start to finish. The characters are real but not perfect, which I like. You can tell the author put a lot of thought into who Lutie and Fate McFee are as people and how they would act in certain situations. They make mistakes, but as a 13 year old girl and an 11 year old boy, their characters are more than believeable - they are real. Her characterization of Lutie McFee is spot on. She is sassy, headstrong, and yet innocent in the ways that only experience can age you.

I'm the type of reader where characters that always 'DO THE RIGHT THING' bug me, because they seem fake. Good characters make or break a story for me, and these characters are so lifelike, I fell like I know them personally. The main characters react the way most kids would, given the responsibility they are thrust into at such an early age.

Ulitmately, it's a story dealing with the good and the bad that the real world throws at us. An excellent, excellent book. I plan on rereading this, and picking up Letts' other books as well.
mom2nine avatar reviewed Made in the U.S.A. on + 343 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
This book has a more adult content than other Letts books, or perhaps just more dark. I did not find very much humor in this book. Story delves into the underworld of the forgotten children in our culture.
JiminyCricket avatar reviewed Made in the U.S.A. on + 150 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
You ever read a book SOOOO good that you purposefully avoid finishing it because you hate to see it end. THIS IS THAT KIND OF BOOK! The kids in this story are so lifelike and their heartaches and heartbreaks so real I didn't want to finish the book because I wanted to keep them with me forever. This book will make you cry, laugh, cheer and cry some more, and eventually it will make you a better person for having read it.
Read All 23 Book Reviews of "Made in the USA"

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bothrootes avatar reviewed Made in the U.S.A. on + 207 more book reviews
This is a really good book about 15 year old Lutie and her 11 year old brother, Fate and their struggle to survive on their own while searching for their father in Vegas. Both are creative in their attempt to make it on their own. The book is graphic in the things that happen to them. Both characters are very likeable and the reader becomes emotionally involved with their failures and success.
reviewed Made in the U.S.A. on + 5 more book reviews
I really liked this book. I have read several of her books and had to wait 6 months to get this one on my wish list. It had many twists and turns ,always keeping me wanting to read more. I could have done without some of the situations that the main character went thru but all in all i would recommend it to book reading friends.
reviewed Made in the U.S.A. on + 7 more book reviews
My first book from Billie Letts. Nice style and story line. Although I enjoyed the book,( mature male) I think it is written more for the teenager or young adult reader.
LeahG avatar reviewed Made in the U.S.A. on + 320 more book reviews
I loved this book. Billie Letts writes beautiful prose in this story about a teenage girl and her little brother, both orphans trying to survive and make their way in life on their own. It was thoroughly entertaining and so real that I felt I was living the story.


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