Man, the 70's was a wild ride! I was 7, when the Son of Sam terrorized New York, specifically Queens, so I don't know much about it. Well, I didn't until I finished the book. Although the book doesn't go too much into the actual murders, it punctuates the terror people felt during that time. The story also demonstrated the importance of community, of family, and of safety.
17-year old Luna lives with her mother and brother, Hector. Hector is not nice, and I applaud Meg Medina for revealing domestic abuse not of a parent to a child, but a child who violently terrorizes his family. Hopefully, today, there are more things in place to help children early so that when they become Hector's age (16 I think), some things have been resolved. Of course, the plethora of drugs during the 70's didn't help, which was also addressed, as well as women's rights.
This is a great book for young adults to read. Despite everything currently going on, America has gotten better (always needs improvement), but we should remember to be thankful for how far we've gotten.