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The Division Street Princess: A Memoir
Set in the 1940s, Elaine Soloway's memoir takes its title from the street that Studs Terkel exalts in his classic book, Division Street: America, and from the pet name her father gave her. Soloway lived in a three-room flat above her family's grocery store. In her tale of bookies, poolrooms, sidewalk playgrounds, and relatives who lived down the block, we learn about her l...more
Paperback, 209 pages
Published
March 21st 2006
by Syren Book Company
(first published 2006)
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This book is a snapshot of Chicago from a Jewish girl's perspective from about 1942-1950. Her family owns a grocery store on Division St. If you know Chicago there are some interesting references to this neighborhood and the city as a whole. This story certainly touches on the strains of having a family business and the changes that the city of Chicago was undergoing at this time, but doesn't really delve into those topics as much as I would have liked.
Elaine talks about how her parents bought a grocery store in Chicago in the 1940s which became the centre of the Jewish and immigrant community and a place where local people shared their gossip and lives. She recalls the distant war that barely seems to touch their lives, her childhood fun playing on the streets and the seedier side of the neighbourhood with child abusers lurking in the shadows.
There was not a lot of great action in this story but something about it kept me interes...more
There was not a lot of great action in this story but something about it kept me interes...more
This was an enjoyable read. It reminded me of what it must have been like when my grandma immigrated here from Germany.
I picked the book because I'm in need of a memoir--and I liked the idea of following a Jewish family in the 1940s. We'll see...
I just never made the leap into this book. The writing is lackluster, particularly compared to Edgar Sawtelle and others books I've read recently. I was disappointed, to be honest. It's definitely not a Liar's Club or The Glass Castle or The Tender Bar variety of memoirs. I was glad to finish it.
I just never made the leap into this book. The writing is lackluster, particularly compared to Edgar Sawtelle and others books I've read recently. I was disappointed, to be honest. It's definitely not a Liar's Club or The Glass Castle or The Tender Bar variety of memoirs. I was glad to finish it.
This was a quick, mostly fluffy read. The author recalls her upbringing in Chicago in the 1940s. Her parents owned a small grocery store and the family lived above. The author's stories range from innocent days playing with friends in the neighborhood and more serious incidents of molestation.
I adored this book. You know those books that make you laugh and cry simultaneously, this is that read. Very special.
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Recommends it for:
people who like memoirs, Jewish life
Shelves:
memoir-about-a-girl,
chicago
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