Jew Boy in Goy Town

About the Book

This is a  story about the rites of passage of a young boy growing up in the Catskill Mountains before it became the “Borscht Belt.” The author shares his lusts and loves, his young hopes and dreams, his fears and feats of bravery. He writes of a time when there were no fancy hotels  with elaborate meals and famous entertainers. It was a time of small entrepreneurs opening boarding houses to accommodate city folk who could not afford to vacation in hotels.

It is also the story of a family’s struggle to overcome poverty and to cope with neighbors who were sometimes hostile because of religious differences, and sometimes gracious despite religious differences.

The author looks back nostalgically at the interdependence of siblings despite their rivalries, and the unquestioning love and cooperation within a family struggling to succeed through emergencies, catastrophes, and aggravations.  It is a well-rounded history of love, hope and aspirations, and the down-to-earth experiences of dealing with life in the not so long ago past.

Throughout our lifetime together, my husband shared many of these experiences with me. He is now sharing them with you. I am grateful to have been invited into his past. I hope you will be too.

Mildred Bluming, BA, MA

School Psychologist,

Los Angeles Unified School District

About the Author

The young farm boy you read about in this book grew up to become a sophisticated, urbane man. The love of learning, implanted in him at an early age, never abated. When he was 14, his father died, forcing a long hiatus in his academic career. Many years later, at age 59, he was awarded a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Southern California. He wrote poetry as well as prose, produced paintings and sculptures, and was, for many years, the Director of Production for the Barbi doll wardrobe at the Mattel toy Company. His first book, The Seventh Day, was published by Medallion Press in 1986.