I deeply appreciate the honest feedback on this novel from Emily Russak, Linda Herschfeld, Flo Teitelman, Jaime Wachtel, Melissa Gelfman, Susan Strumwasser, Harriet Brown, Sue Saad, Lois Zeidner, Marge Kuchinsky, Linda Lidor, and Cindy Rothenberg. Special thanks to Renee Price for her years of encouragement.
This book is about family, and it is the love of my family that inspires me every day. To Howie, Brad, and Charlie, the best sons a mother could ask for, I give my love and thanks. My deepest appreciation to Jaime and Elisha, who have become true daughters. I thank my brother, Jack, for the shared memories; and for Emily, who has become a sister. I am beyond grateful for my granddaughters, Zoey and Emmy, who give me joy every day and renewed hope for the future. Words are not enough to thank Arthur, my husband, the man who is always by my side and without whom nothing is possible.
Finally, I want to thank my dear parents, Charles and Betty Russak, who emerged from the depths of despair to provide their children with the possibility of a better world. My mother gave me the security of her abiding love, and my father showed me that with that love I could do anything—even become a published author. It is their voices and the voices of all the immigrants like them, seeking to build their own castles, that fill the pages of this book.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shirley Russak Wachtel is the daughter of Holocaust survivors and was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She holds a doctor of letters degree from Drew University and for the past thirty years has taught English literature at Middlesex College in Edison, New Jersey. The mother of three grown sons and grandmother to two precocious granddaughters, she currently resides in East Brunswick, New Jersey, with her husband, Arthur. For more information visit www.shirleywachtel.com.