Award-winning author Rita Roth, Ph.D., has just published a new book, “414 Pine Street.” It is available in both print and Kindle editions on amazon.com.
“I’ve been thinking about writing a book for a long time, but I wasn’t sure if it was for adults or young people,” Roth said in a recent interview.
Roth spent 20 years as an associate professor in the Education Department of Rockhurst University. During that time she wrote “The Power of Song and Other Sephardic Tales.” It was published by the Jewish Publication Society and received the National Jewish Book Award in the category of Jewish family literature in 2007.
While the new book is classified as fiction, the author said it is “to some extent,” an autobiographical work.
“It’s really a memoir,” she said.
It is about a Jewish family who emigrated from Eastern Europe to a small town in Pennsylvania. The heroine Hannah is 9 years old in the book and was born in the United Staes. Like the author, Hannah’s three siblings — 13-year-old Frankie, Esther (Et for short), 17, and an older sister were born in the old country. The older sister is in New York, studying to be a nurse. The story focuses on the problems the family faces during the Depression.
“I was trying to capture what it was like in a small town during that time period.”
And capture she does in a very well-written, interesting novel for 9- to 12-year-olds.
“It was unusual in that the town was so open as far as different backgrounds went,” said Roth. “It was an ideal way to grow up in a very difficult time. Because of that, we all helped each other.”
In the book, the family shares resources and holds on to meaningful family projects as a way of coping with the tough times. They also turn to bartering. For example the family makes sauerkraut and hosenblozen (crispy twists of sweet dough deep fried and sprinkled with powdered sugar) to give and barter to the neighbors. They come home with watermelon rind, sugar cookies, spearmint candies, hard candies and oranges.
The family’s strength lies in the relationship between the mother and father and the projects they do together as they deal with adjustment to living in America, a small town and a community.
Roth said she’s received a lot of feedback already. “Adults who lived through that period felt very connected to the book.”
Roth volunteers at a local charter school and students there have heard sections from the book. The author said they can relate to the themes.
“Many of the children are in families where their parents have lost their jobs, so they understand some ideas about the economic situation in the book,” she said.
Roth’s own five grandchildren, ages 9 to 17, have also read or are reading the book.
“Kids are very aware today and are exposed to so much stuff, they’re pretty savvy about what’s going on,” Roth said, noting the book appeals to both children and adults.