A great question for a woman of any age is “How did you get to be the woman you are today?” When 85-year-old Addie Baum answers this question posed by her 22-year-old granddaughter, the fascinating response becomes a novel, The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant ( author of the now-classic The Red Tent).
Addie, born in 1900 to Eastern European Jewish immigrants, is a bright and inquisitive teenager when the book begins. Since she is a bit adventurous and willing to challenge the status quo, Addie’s life takes many turns that her old-world parents do not understand – but that she is sure that her granddaughter will. Addie’s story is quintessentially that of a first-generation American; it would probably resemble that of many young women whose families emigrated to the U.S. from Asia, Latin America, or just about anywhere else in the last 100 years.
The Boston Girl is a quick read and I recommend it highly.
Submitted by Robin Winston