Description
Book SynopsisTrade Review“Brownstein set out to record her mother’s story and the rich history of Jewish immigration and women’s lives that it encapsulated. In the resulting book, [she] captures the complexity, courage, wit, and pains not only of her mother but also of an entire generation of Jewish women. . . . [It] is a mosaic of the ways that memory creates reality, and how the retelling of stories shapes intergenerational identities, belongings, and challenges.” * Jewish Book Council *
“This memoir is a delightful evocation of a richly expressive world with an altogether worthy protagonist at its center.” * Vivian Gornick *
“From the moment I started
American Born, I was captivated by the voices calling out to me from every page. Voices that made me laugh, broke my heart, and reminded me that every family’s story is fragile. Brownstein has written an enchantingly engaging and profoundly honest book about memories, exile, legacies, aging, grief, and our collective and endless need for joy. You must read
American Born—especially if your family wasn’t.” * Gina Barreca, author of They Used to Call Me Snow White . . . But I Drifted *
“
American Born is a wonderfully warm and deeply engaging memoir. I loved reading about Grandma Rose, old New York, and a familiar Jewish experience.” * Julie Klam, author of The Almost Legendary Morris Sisters: A True Story of Family Fiction *
“Sociable, energetic, and resilient—a young woman whose inclination was to ‘go where all the cars were going’—Brownstein’s mother was American born. But she was also an immigrant proud to be exactly who she was. Out of this paradox, Brownstein weaves a warm and perceptive account of personal courage in the making of an American family. I loved this book. And everyone with an immigrant in the family will love it too.” * Alice Kessler-Harris, author of A Difficult Woman: The Challenging Life and Times of Lillian Hellman *
“In this beautiful mother-daughter memoir, Brownstein’s keen intelligence about character is richly evident, as is her sense of how Yiddish worked in families, in songs, on the street—what people carried from the old country in their linguistic baggage. Each individual chapter blends in elements from the others, creating a full immersion in Grandma Rose’s world that is truly Proustian in its social intelligence.” * Alice Kaplan, author of French Lessons: A Memoir *
“More than a memoir,
American Born is also an extended personal essay, a search through archive and memory, pondering the historical reality of this life. Above all, it is a treasure—a valuable addition not only to American immigration history but to the history of twentieth-century European identity.” * Patricia Hampl, author of The Art of the Wasted Day *
Table of ContentsPreface
One: Columbusns Medina
Two: Characters and Character
Three: Mielec
Four: Shaping Narratives
Five: Love Story
Six: Piecework
Afterword: 2021
Acknowledgments
Notes
