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"An intimate glimpse into the lives of Jewish immigrants in the early 1900's." -- Jefferson State Community College Ten tales by a Jewish-American author of the early twentieth century offer timeless depictions of immigrants' struggles and dreams. Set in New York City's teeming Lower East Side, this lost masterpiece provides rich psychological portraits of mothers, daughters, and sisters as they attempt to find places in the New World. During her early childhood, Anzia Yezierska (c. 1880-1970) emigrated from Poland to New York City, where she worked in sweatshops by day and studied English at night. She drew upon her own experiences to write these stories as well as novels and screenplays focusing on issues of acculturation and assimilation. Hungry Hearts, which originally appeared in 1920, inspired a popular film and holds the historic distinction of being the first publication by a Jewish-American woman writer.… (more)
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But the author focusses too on the inner person- the dreams (in the face of the awful reality); dowry-less girls dream of love; others yearn for education and better things.
Yezierska actually succeeded in these things, rising from the NY ghetto to Hollywood, as her book was made into a silent movie. In the last three stories she lets us into the change in circumstances - the alienation from her people as she gains wealth (while remaining an outsider to the new crowd); the difficulty in sustaining a relationship when writing takes pre-eminence; and the uselessness that comes with old age...
Simple yet moving, these tales bring to life a forgotten world.