READERS CONTINUE TO COMMENT

The past months have been very gratifying as I continue to hear from people who have recently completed reading The Unveiling. I appreciate hearing from family and friends who want to share their reactions. Sometimes people see me and tell me in person. The following comments have been emailed.

"Dear Leah Rae,
A colleague of mine…gave me your book "The Unveiling" for Chanukkah last year. I read the book in a week and was quite taken with it…it was a treat for me to be able to read your work. The premise of your book is inspiring and I related to it very well. My mother's family suffers greatly from mental illness…I myself battled through two post-partum depressions. Now many years after those depressions I feel like a mixture of all of the siblings in your story, at times striving to understand, trying to raise awareness and battling an illness. I am the "town crier" in my family shouting, "let's call these illnesses for what they are, an illness, and get the help necessary"…

When the array of mental illnesses come into play, as they are now that my grandmother is dying of breast cancer, I hold tightly to the mental image of David standing on the podium, strong and proud, ready to get to work on making a difference for those with mental illnesses. I thank you for that image, and more importantly, I thank you for your book. I pray that it will help others who are compelled to deal with mental illnesses and that it helps bring about understanding in those who have not yet had to deal with mental illness. b'Shalom"

Techiya Loewen

Guelph, Ontario

"I was impressed by the history that she wove into the book along with her treatment of the issue of mental illness. I was touched and inspired by it."
Rabbi J. Schwartz, Temple Emanu-el

Atlanta, Georgia

"I have fallen in love with the characters in this book. What lives our ancestors had! I regret not discovering my own family's history. This book introduced me to a part of history I did not know about. Thank you, Leah."

Laura Cooper,

Toronto, Ontario

"Leah, I enjoyed your book immensely. The scenes of the devastation of [eastern] Europe were very effective, I thought, conveying the misery of the situation and the courage of the people. And the issue of mental illness, especially the changing (thank goodness) attitudes to it, was well dealt with. Thank you - it must have been a daunting work to undertake!"

Christie Bentham

Toronto, Ontario

What Has Been My Family’s Reaction to The Unveiling?

People attending my presentations about The Unveiling over the last few months have raised some interesting questions. I’d like to share some in my blogs. This blog is about a question I had no trouble answering.

Question – Since your book is about a topic that caused so much sadness among family members, what has been your family’s reaction to The Unveiling?

(Photograph shows family members on a visit to my mother who is sitting in the center.)

Answer – I did worry a lot about how family members would react. Would they think my depiction of characters hit the mark or would they find anything hurtful or embarrassing? Unfortunately, both my mother and my sister passed away prior to the book's publication although they both provided in-depth interviews and shared many personal memories during various stages of the writing.

I can honestly say that once family members close to me read the book, I stopped worrying because everyone was so positive.

My daughter, Lisa, and son, Philip, were readers of early drafts and offered ideas to help tighten the story. Lisa travelled from New York for the book launch and invited many of her friends to join her. My brother, Dr. Allen Rubin, has been wonderful, putting me in touch with his colleagues to review The Unveiling before it was published. He has been telling people about the book and has actually spoken to a group of professionals in the mental health field about some of his own experiences depicted in the story.

My late brother-in-law, Morley Harris, told me the book brought tears to his eyes, particularly how I showed the inner strength of my sister through Collette. My nephew, Bobby Harris, has spread the word among his network and helped arrange a speaking event at Temple Emanu-el in Atlanta. My niece, Cheryl Schwartz, gave copies of the book to friends and colleagues, continues to tell people about The Unveiling, and has invited me to speak with her Temple in Maryland about the book.

One cousin, Carol Swartz, not only offered to help with the proof-reading, but helped with marketing activities and arranged two events where I could do readings and signings. Another cousin, Larry Rubin, remarked “you nailed it” and has spent a lot of time helping to spread the word. Other cousins have told me how well I captured my mother’s voice through Ettie.

One amusing comment came from a person outside of the family who attended one of my readings. She said she thought I was unfair to one character. Rachel, not knowing that I based Rachel on myself.

Island Memories

ISLAND MEMORIES

It hasn’t been easy adjusting to the cold weather in Toronto after three weeks on beautiful Marco Island, Florida where I combined a lovely beach holiday with two speaking events about The Unveiling. Marco Island is one of the loveliest Florida spots I’ve visited with its large beach, uncluttered streets and parks, mild weather and laid back atmosphere.

Part of the time we stayed in the home of my cousin, Carol Swartz, and her partner, David Malakoff to look after their dog, Lucky, while they were on a cruise. The new dog park a few blocks from their home was well designed and an amusing meeting spot for dog-owners as well as dogs. Lucky, a labrapoodle, did not play much with the other dogs. Her joy came from gathering all of the tennis balls she could find, bringing them to one spot and protecting them from the other dogs.

We spent the last week of our stay in a beachside condominium overlooking the Gulf. Waking up to the sound of the ocean was a special treat.

Carol hosted a luncheon and “meet-the-author” event at her home for her Newcomers’ group. Twelve people attended and most had already read The Unveiling. Their response was warm and encouraging, especially because several shared other stories they knew of families who had kept mental illness a secret. At the end, several women embraced me, and one invited Ray and me to a dinner at her home that weekend. The friendly and informal dinner added to our wonderful island memories.

The second event was a sisterhood luncheon at the Marco Island Jewish Temple. Again, several people had already read the book – thanks to Carol’s helpful marketing before I arrived. I was impressed by the intensity of the discussion as people shared stories from their lives. At the end, I even sold several more books.

We are looking forward to a return to the Marco Island area next winter and hope it will be for a longer stay. I’m also hoping I can schedule some similar events where I can present The Unveiling and encourage dialogue about the experiences I wrote about.

Comments from Readers

Since the book launch in November, many readers have written to share their reactions to The Unveiling. Some readers found the book's characters interesting. They are based on real people, some of whom appear in the picture to the right taken in 1954. (Names left to right: Leah Rubin, Anna Rubin, Corrine Rubin, Yetta Rubin and Allen Rubin.)

It’s been great hearing from people, and I hope I’ll be hearing from more of you.

Following are some of the comments from readers:

A book for all generations - "The Unveiling is a book for all generations to read and digest. The Burin Family could have been my family's experiences in Eastern Europe before relocating to America and most specifically Pittsburgh. I cannot wait for my family, friends and grandchildren to read this compelling book by Leah Rae Lambert about the dreams, fears and accomplishments of three generations within a family".
Ann Stone, amazon.com review - 5 stars
Jacksonville, FL

Most Poignant Revelation How One Family Overcame the Family "Secret."  It was a wonderfully written book. The stories of the early days of Jewish immigrants in Pittsburgh were authentic and personally meaningful. It also brings out the stigma of those times in dealing with mental illness in one's family.
Reader Review - 5 stars
barnesandnoble.com

"I want to take minute to thank you for "The Unveiling." This is quite a story and I assume an important family memoir though fiction. I especially enjoyed the shtetl experience and the coming over. I learned about Jewish custom (didn't know what shiva was - I'm from KY) and a language that seems to have music and humor. The MI and stigma issues are tough and don't go away and few of us will cope as well as Ettie. I see this thoughtful book as a song of hope where hope is badly needed. You are a good story teller. Write another."
Charlie Sanders
Austin, Texas

"Fabulous book… During a recent cottage stay I simply could not put the book down and was, at times, very moved. What a story! There are so many facets and perspectives captured with such incredible insight!
The book deserves to be a bestseller!"
Sigrid Fessor
Toronto, Ontario