An inspiring biography -
BUBBY’S STORIES: Belarus to the Bronx is a wonderful true story. It is the history of seven generations of a Jewish immigrant family. Dating from the late 1800s and their medieval shtetl existence in rural war-torn Belarus, Russia we follow this family’s journey across the European continent, and half the world, into the modernity of the political scene of 20th century New York City. This non-fiction saga is written in the form of a narrative, and as much as possible in the vernacular, in order to capture the charm and picturesque wonderment of surprise that was heard in the original telling of these stories. The book begins in 1979 on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in Bubby’s kitchen. Bubby (the Yiddish word for grandmother), is describing her life as a little girl, in turn-of-the-century Belarus to her young grandson. She tells him the stories of their family’s history and how she and her sister, all alone and barely more than little girls, came to Ellis Island, and how they assimilated into American life. The stories Bubby tells her grandson, and others I have included that he was too young to hear, are some of the most charming, heartwarming and heartbreaking stories that you could imagine. Some of these stories are poignant, others are funny and some are unbelievable; but all are true and historically accurate. My family’s names are on the memorial wall at Ellis Island. Through these stories, historic background and interesting descriptions of life in the shtetl and the Jewish experience of assimilation in the United States are told through the eyes of real people.
Besides being a good story, BUBBY’S STORIES is a condemnation of war and intolerance. The book ends with "It Could Be Kindness," an original poem that was written by the author based on the inspiring and powerful words, wisdom and ideas that were espoused by her parents.