Book 06 Feb 2008 10:04 am
My favorite 96 year old author
Not that you can have too many at that age, but my favorite 96 year old author is Harry Bernstein. I just finished his second memoir, The Dream. His first memoir, The Invisible Wall, takes place in his childhood in England. Now, in his second memoir, The Dream, Harry and his family travel to Chicago to live the American dream.
Here is a fun article at IHT.com. Another article about his first book is at NextBook.org.
Here is the STARRED Publisher’s Weekly review of his new memoir,
The Dream: A Memoir
Harry Bernstein. Ballantine, $24 (304p) ISBN 978-0-345-50374-9
Having mined his English upbringing in The Invisible Wall, Bernstein resumes a nine-decade reckoning in this gently observed memoir of a Jewish immigrant family riven from within. Eager to escape English mill town life, his mother promises her brood a better life in America—a dream providentially fulfilled with steamship tickets. But even after reuniting with family in Chicago, his father’s “bloody ’ell†bellows and monstrous rage continue to smite. The author takes in his new surroundings with a keen adolescent eye, observing “back porches all piled on top of one another like egg crates,†belying celluloid America—as do his ragamuffin elders, with his grandfather reduced to begging in secret. At school he confounds Midwestern types with his Lancashire accent, comically mistaken for an Egyptian named “Arry.†Engulfed in the Roaring ’20s, the Bernsteins revel in the luxuries of telephones and parlor rooms, only to feel the wallop of the Depression as the decade wanes. Uprooted to New York, Bernstein ekes out a living and falls quietly, desperately in love, achieving a joyful 67-year marriage. Coming on the heels of his first book, this one will delight readers eager for more of Bernstein’s distinctive voice and gift for character. (Apr.)
The only sections that I did not thoroughly enjoy were the sections when his dad’s behavior was at its worst. His descriptions of Chicago and New York in the pre-Depression and Depression eras have both the beauty and wonder of a child and the realism of a boy who has a terrible father and no where near enough money.
Harry is a 96 year old man who has live such an amazing life. It is interesting for me, because I was raised with a small amount of Jewish culture to read about Harry and his life. It is a fabulous memoir, both are really. The Invisible Wall is available now in hardcover, but look for the paperback release soon. The Dream will be out later this spring and yes, he is working on the third book.
All the best to Mr. Bernstein and may he continue to enjoy good health so we can all enjoy his stories!
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