Growing up in New York City, one of the first things we learn as schoolchildren is the long history of immigration to this bustling metropolis. One story that captures that essence is Anzia Yezierska's chronicle of an Eastern European Jewish family living in a Manhattan tenement in the early 20th century.
Dealing with powerful themes including ethnic and religious identity, the struggle to adapt to a new world and, above all, the changing views of gender roles, Yezierska's work offers a powerful glimpse into a tumultuous period in New York City's history.
Sara Smolinsky is the youngest of four daughters living on the lower east side in the 1920's Her strictly traditional father spends all of his time at study and prayer, while Sara and her mother and sisters struggle to earn enough to get by. As her father marries off her sisters for his own gain and to increase his social standing, Sara becomes more and more restless until finally, she snaps. Leaving her family and setting out into the city with virtually nothing, Sara is determined to make her own way and, for the first time in her life, live for herself.
As an immigrant herself, Yezierska draws from her own background and experience to craft an emotionally moving tale complete with all the gritty realism and sophisticated plot structure one would expect from a good piece of writing.
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