Frieda Forman

I so appreciated re-reading this book after reading it when it was first published. It presents stories, both fictional and true to life, of a variety of women from a variety of times who were born in the 19th and 20th centuries. These stories humanize the characters, their colleagues, and their dreams, goals, ant the realities of their lives. Unfortunately, much of the sexism they experienced is still present and possibly worsening in the 21st century. I espeically appreciated how hard-working and resilient so many of the protagonists and the authors were.… (meer)

This is the second volume of translated stories by Yiddish women writers. The translators are from "The Toronto Yiddish Translation Group". I have to say at the beginning that I know some of the translators and was on a committee that did provide a little support for this publication. There was a first volume published years earlier-Found Treasures.
This book of short stories and memoirs covers not only Europe in between the world wars but the Sephardic community of Jerusalem, New York and Montreal.Some of the stories depict the situation of conflicted women and men caught in lives that they don't want. There are gutsy women in the Crimea and heroic women hiding in ghettos during the Holocaust. There are actresses going against the wishes of family. One lovely memoir by the late Miriam Waddington recalls the " salon" of Montreal writer Ida Maza.I liked this book not only because of the stories. The stories and their authors were rescued from obscurity by making their work accessible to a larger audience.… (meer)