Russel Lazega

I loved the way this book was formatted alternating between recent conversations between the author and his grandmother or bubbie Lea and the family’s history starting with her parents and their unhappy arranged marriage. They’d returned to pre-World War I Poland after an unsuccessful attempt at business in the United States. Lea’s father was a hustler and her siblings got out of their parents’ apartment as soon possible not long before their father deserted them. Lea would become a nanny at age fourteen and two years latter she was working in a textile mill in Brussels while living with her aunt. Her children and extended family often complained about n how stubborn she was, but that trait stood her in good stead as her husband was a good but weak man and his inability to act would have landed them in a concentration camp. She shepherded her children through Belgium, France, Spain, and onto the United States. She wouldn’t be allowed to immigrate until eighteen months after her children. A fierce lady who was trying to find a good Jewish girl for her grandson who’s found his own girl. She’s Cuban and Catholic. There really wasn’t a lot they could do to manage Bubbie. This book is a real page turner.… (more)

An interesting memoir, written by a grandson, relating tales of his "Bubbie" and her family ( including his infant father) and their experiences fleeing the Nazi machine as it spread it's terror across Europe in the early 1940s. Alternating with the historical chapters are vignettes of his Bubbie and her family today as they gather, celebrate, kvetch and otherwise live out their lives across four generations. The author calls his work "creative nonfiction" as it is based on fifty year old tales and memories of his grandmother and her generation. The book includes stories of danger, suffering, heartbreak and heroism, as well as a surprising amount of humor. It is a fine tribute to an amazing generation.… (more)