Review: A German Jewish refugee in 1940's New Orleans
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 16, 2013
I was about three-quarters of the way through this well-written book before I realized that it is a novel, not a real memoir. It all sounds so real, from the family's embarrassment at Bernie's accent to their looking down at his religious observances.This book is a fascinating look at Reform Judaism in New Orleans in the 1940's. Although his wife's family feels superior to her new husband, just out of the U.S. Army, as being too Jewishly observant, the stubbornly devoted wife sticks up for him and their daughter loves him.I am also a German Jewish refugee of that era, and found a much warmer welcome when we settled in Baltimore. Since I was younger than Bernie, I did not have a German accent, although my father did; but we were welcomed and helped by the community.