By
– May 14, 2012
Brenda Serotte’s memoir of her colorful and eccentric Turkish-Jewish family, and her courageous triumph over childhood polio, is both a fascinating story with scenes of great humor and deep pathos, and a beautifully written account of a lifechanging experience.
The family members, steeped in Sephardic-Turkish tradition and superstition, find their lives upended when Serotte contracts the deadly polio virus as a young child. Her refusal to succumb to despair despite her terrifying ordeal speaks to the hope that lies within every heart, and gives this powerful book universal appeal.
Shira R. London is the librarian at Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community High School in Baltimore, MD. She holds an M.L.S. from Columbia University.