Eve­lyn Mar­shall uses her fam­i­ly his­to­ry as the basis for this nov­el depict­ing the immi­grant expe­ri­ence. Young Rosa Galperin arrives in the Unit­ed States in 1922, deter­mined to make a new life for her­self. She starts out liv­ing with rel­a­tives in Chica­go, work­ing in a sweat­shop, but she wants more. A rich hus­band would be nice. The man that she does mar­ry is good to her, but he is gullible. He always has a grand scheme that should make them rich. Rosa is the main bread win­ner. They raise a fam­i­ly while strug­gling through the Great Depres­sion and World War II. The author says that her book explores both the Woman of Val­or and the Man of Good Heart. Read­ers will enjoy this explo­ration of the immi­grant expe­ri­ence fea­tur­ing a strong, deter­mined woman. It is a good choice for book clubs and young adults.

Relat­ed Content:

• Away: A Nov­el by Amy Bloom
• By the Waters of Man­hat­tan by Charles Reznikoff
• One Foot in Amer­i­ca by Yuri Suhl
• Up From Orchard Street by Eleanor Widmer