Deciding on a Book's Title

“It was a pity that with such a head the child had not been born a boy, destined for a life of study. A girl with such a head, when the child is very young, is like the ostrich…a bird that has been given wings but will never fly.” This is what people in the shtetl thought about intellectually curious girls.

I learned from my research of women in the shtetls that the ideal woman was submissive, docile, decorous, retiring, modest, patient and utterly devoted to family. She had no personal ambitions. In her own right, the woman was nothing except to bear and socialize children, and to provide a harmonious home conducive to men’s study and prayer.

A woman’s prayer was not necessary and did not benefit the community. It was considered a waste to educate women. It was felt by some rabbis of the era that “an educated female is a cinder in God’s eye.”

When I began writing The Unveiling, one of the titles I considered was Wings of the Ostrich, an ironic title to highlight my mother’s strength of character. Key to her life’s story was her love of education, the disappointment she felt when it was denied her and the level of her determination to help her children receive higher education. Instead, I chose the title The Unveiling to better encompass the theme of the book, the uncovering of family secrets.

However, many readers have commented that they see both my mother and grandmother as heroines whose resourcefulness and personal achievements secured their family’s survival and hope for the future. Rather than having wings that would never be used, they had strong shoulders upon which their children and grandchildren could stand as they strove for a better life.

Photo taken in Skvira shows my mother standing on chair, her Mother standing beside her and her sister standing in front.

How Do You Get a “Home Town Bounce” Marketing Your Book?

This is another question I've been asked, and it is not an easy one to answer. Even though I spent my childhood and early adult life in Pittsburgh, and still have friends and relatives who live there, I’ve spent more years in Toronto. So what is my "home town?"

I got my inspiration for the characters of The Unveiling from my family, with the result that much of the book is set in Pittsburgh. The story reflects the history of Pittsburgh’s immigrants. (Picture on left shows my grandmother, Anna Rubin, becoming a U.S. citizen. Standing with her is H.J. Heinz.) So I have been hoping for significant interest and a reasonable number of readers in Pittsburgh.

To date this expectation has been partly realized. Family members who live in Pittsburgh have been my best customers and PR people. So have close friends and colleagues, who have not only read the book, but ordered extra copies to pass along to other friends and associates. A few old high school friends heard about The Unveiling, read it, reconnected with me and encouraged others to read it. Other acquaintances have promised to speak with people they know in various organizations, encouraging them to invite me to speak about the impact of mental illness on families.

The biggest “home town bounce” has been the positive review in Pittsburgh’s Jewish Chronicle in late March 2010. I am aware that some people I know provided The Chronicle with review copies, so my carefully worded pitch email probably was not the reason for the review. And another “bounce” came during the past week when the owner of Bradley’s Books in Pittsburgh, after speaking with my cousin, Mel Solomon, decided to carry copies in two of his stores and to invite me to do signings.

I’ve had a few disappointments, probably because I am not presently a Pittsburgh resident. Other than the Chronicle, the Pittsburgh news media has shown minimal interest in The Unveiling. And the Carnegie Library of Squirrel Hill resorted to rigid national library policy as an excuse to rule out my making a personal appearance, despite welcoming “local” authors in the past.

More than getting a “home town bounce” in marketing The Unveiling, I’ve had a “family and friend bounce”. Relatives and friends give copies to associates, and this leads to invitations for me to speak to groups…in Toronto, Florida, Georgia and Maryland so far.

As an author who is responsible for my own book marketing, I’ve been following advice from other authors and public relations experts offered on the social media. Going after that “home town bounce” has been one piece of advice, and it is worth following, but it is only one part of a much more complex challenge.

Why Did You Write This As Fiction and Not a Family Memoir?

When I meet with people who are interested in discussing The Unveiling with me, one of the most frequent questions raised is “Why did you decide to make this a historical novel rather than a memoir?”

Let me explain why I decided to write it as fiction.

From the beginning, my plan was to build this story around my mother’s life – to portray her family background, the early hardships of her childhood, her dreams and accomplishments, and her valiant efforts as a single mother enduring the stigma of a mentally ill husband.

The first time I interviewed my mother, she enthusiastically provided many hours of taped interviews. I was surprised at how many personal experiences she shared, although in a few instances, I convinced her to tell me things only by reassuring her that the book would be fiction and all names would be changed.

My mother’s memories of the sights and sounds of the pogroms her family suffered through always impressed young family members who became her audience through the years. Although she didn’t remember the historical sequence of some of the events, she gave me enough detail to allow me to draw upon historical research to confirm the information she provided and to use my imagination to fill in possible scenarios, consistent with factual records of the same time periods.

After interviewing my mother, I decided to speak with other relatives to strengthen the story that was emerging. Each interviewee added an important dimension, but they didn’t always remember things in a consistent way. And they all left some gaps in the story.

Writing the book as fiction allowed me to enhance some of the memories. It also enabled me to include dialogue that might have taken place as I tried to capture the voices of  the people and the humor in their Yiddish phrases.

I never intended this book to be a genealogical study of our family. I know some of my relatives have done such studies and have more information than I do about the genealogy. Because my mother had so many relatives, I had to leave some out who were not central to her story. I had to combine other characters, including many who were dear friends to my mother. I even imagined a few characters who could have played a significant role in the action. For me the important thing is that the book celebrates my mother’s courage and my family’s resilience…and those features are not fictional.

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

Successful Book Launch

What an exciting launch of my book The Unveiling. It exceeded my expectations. The setting in the atrium of the School of Continuing Studies at the University of Toronto was perfect. Thanks to Marilynn Booth and Nory Siberry for hosting the event, and to the members of the Academy for Lifelong Learning who offered so much support.

I was thrilled with the turnout of friends, family and colleagues, especially seeing some people after many years. It was a special treat to share this with my daughter, Lisa Lambert of Drowsy Chaperone fame, who flew in from New York. Missed my son, Philip, but he had work commitments in Virginia.

My reading went smoothly and the audience response was encouraging. Book sales were great...sold out my supply of books and have since ordered more. Many comments about the perfect book cover designed by Ray Ferris. Thanks to friends Adrienne Mclennan, Mary Lou Wilkins and Jane Scott for looking after the sales.

Feedback since the launch has been positive and promising. Some in attendance have made suggestions about other possibilities for readings and presentations. Next will come my participation in the forum at the Academy on Nov 18th and my participation in the Small Press Book Fair at the Gladstone Hotel on December 12th.

Press Release for Launch of The Unveiling

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Attention: Book, Health Editors

The Unveiling Shines Light on A Family’s Escape from
the Stigma of Mental Illness

Toronto, On / November 11, 2009 – The Unveiling ($19.95/ iUniverse), an evocative, historically based novel about one family’s journey through the stigma of mental illness, launches today at The University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies Atrium. The event runs from 4pm to 5:30pm with a reading from the book by the author, Leah Rae Lambert, at 4:30pm.

A portrayal of a valiant Jewish woman, The Unveiling chronicles Ettie Burin’s journey, along with her family, during much of the twentieth century. The story unfolds as family members gather in Pittsburgh to share memories during the mourning period following her husband’s death. These memories re-create the dangers they experienced escaping the harsh life in czarist Russia and later the more profound struggles with the secrecy and stigma surrounding mental illness.

“The book is about the darkness that family secrets often bring with them and the light that comes when the truth is revealed. It is about resilience in the face of adversity and ultimately liberation and peace,” says Leah Rae Lambert, who has a Ph.D from the University of Toronto, and whose career has spanned social work, education and criminal justice.

The author has drawn upon interviews with her own relatives along with historical research to weave together the dreams, fears and accomplishments of three generations within a family. She presents a picture of the social interaction and physical difficulties among people in the Eastern European shtetls, among immigrants in Pittsburgh’s hill district, and among the poor in Pittsburgh’s first public housing project. One major theme involves society’s attitudes toward mental illness and the impact this had on families.

Pullitzer Prize-winning Toronto based composer and author Michael Colgrass says this about the book: “I just finished your book and found it enthralling… I didn’t feel as though I was reading a book, I felt as though I was having an experience, one I could never have had without reading specifics of family life as you portray it in pre-revolutionary Russia.”

“I could not put this book down,” says Emil S. Trellis, M.D.,Distinguished Life Fellow, American Psychiatric Association about The Unveiling. “I recommend it enthusiastically to families bearing the burden and stigma of mental illness and to mental health professionals who work with them.”
“Reading The Unveiling evokes a complex set of strong feelings: indignation, guilt, sadness and eventually a sense of joy,” says A. S. Macpherson MD, MSc., FRCPC, Professor Emeritus, Psychiatry, McMaster University.

Despite the challenges confronting Ettie and her family, this is a story of love, determination, hope and resilience. Surprising events and courageous actions during the year following the mourning period enable the family to lift the burden of silence and experience a true unveiling.

The book is available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iUniverse.

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NOTE TO EDITORS: ART AVAILABLE

The Unveiling of The Unveiling

Now that my debut novel, The Unveiling, has been published, I want to share my experiences as an author. Although the book is fiction, real people and events were my inspiration.

During my childhood in Pittsburgh, it was always my hope to write about the stories I heard from family members about how they escaped the oppression of czarist Russia. In-depth interviews with a number of family members and extensive historical research provided important background material.

The story is about the power of family secrets and the liberating quality of unveiling the truth. It follows the dreams, fears and accomplishments of a Jewish woman and her family, portraying not only their struggle to escape the hardships of shtetl life in eastern Europe, but also their escape from the stigma of mental illness.