As its subtitle indicates, My Dearest Children is a heartfelt memoir in which the author expresses gratitude and advice for her children, grandchildren, and future generations. In her prologue, Horwood notes that this work was completed before the murderous tragedy in Israel on October 7, 2023, and before she lost her father, who was her mentor and editor. Horwood discusses the legacy of her ancestors, and the hardships they faced as Jews. She also reflects on how some of the same fears and challenges they suffered — fears and challenges that were thought to belong in the past but have begun to rear their ugly heads again.
Horwood writes about the strength and resilience needed to keep moving forward. She discusses a variety of topics such as mental health, therapy, friendship, faith, gossip, family ties, and gratitude. Along the way, she cites many well-known thinkers, past and present.
This book is not a lecture; rather, it is an exploration of how the author’s parents and grandparents survived and even flourished in critically altered circumstances time and again. From her own experiences, Horwood speaks to living a good life as a thoughtful, caring person while also nourishing oneself. In the personal telling to her “dearest children,” the author reveals her own flaws as well as her hopes and efforts to do the right thing, creating a solid foundation for her descendents — and the reader — to bring positivity and healing to our broken world.
Miriam Bradman Abrahams, mom, grandmom, avid reader, sometime writer, born in Havana, raised in Brooklyn, residing in Long Beach on Long Island. Longtime former One Region One Book chair and JBC liaison for Nassau Hadassah, currently presenting Incident at San Miguel with author AJ Sidransky who wrote the historical fiction based on her Cuban Jewish refugee family’s experiences during the revolution. Fluent in Spanish and Hebrew, certified hatha yoga instructor.
