Stitching a Life: An Immigration Story
Stitching a Life begins in Lithuania, in 1900, where Max, the oldest son of a Jewish family is about to turn 12. When the Russian soldiers arrive to draft Max into the army, his 16-year-old sister, Hinde, hides her brother and shows the soldiers an expensively purchased fake birth certificate indicating that Max is a year younger. This seminal event is the catalyst for all that follows in Fein’s biographical fiction about her beloved grandmother. Hinde’s parents devise a plan to move the whole family to America. Papa leaves first and works tirelessly to save for Hinde’s ticket. Once reunited with her father, Hinde (now Helen) works equally hard to help her father save for Max’s ticket and in two years the whole family are reunited.
Fein relates four years of Helen’s life and her dedication to her family history shines through every word―increasing prejudice in Lithuania, a harrowing steerage sea journey, her first glimpse of the Statue of Liberty, her employment as seamstress, finding an apartment with Papa and Max, her efforts to buy furnishings from the street vendors, and her joy when her mother and younger siblings finally step onto U.S. soil. The accomplishments in this story speak of immensely hard work, sacrifice and dedication to family, to protect the four brothers from the clutches of Tsar Nicholas’s army. The pages are filled with interesting detail about bustling turn-of-the-century New York ―housing, workplaces, the garment industry (schmatta trade), clothing, hairstyles and Jewish and Lithuanian customs and rituals. A young adult audience will be drawn to the strong-willed Helen and the obstacles she has to overcome. This novel will also appeal to those interested in the diverse cultural make-up of North America and the early New York garment trade.
