Table of Contents
Prologue 1
Part I In Mom's Voice (1937-1960)
1 Childhood, Interrupted 11
2 Stashik Is Coming 27
3 Safe for the Moment 34
4 Where Is God? 45
5 Far from Normal 52
6 Good-bye Urzejowice 61
7 Una Situazione Molto Grave 72
8 A Taste of Freedom 80
9 The Greenhorns 92
10 But We Just Got Used to It Here 101
11 Utterly Demoralized 114
12 I Might Even Marry Him 128
13 A Wonderful Mother 143
Part II My Own Voice (1960-1997)
14 On My Watch 157
15 Bread Crumbs 163
16 Magical Distractions 170
17 I Do Understand 175
18 Sunday Inquisitions 179
19 Time to Say "I Love You" 186
20 A Word Game 193
21 Society of Overachieving Offspring of Holocaust Survivors 199
22 Team Leah 207
23 "Just Jump" 216
24 It's Not That Kind of Thing 225
25 Inside NBC 231
26 The Most Beautiful Woman in the Attic 237
27 Water Your Garden 259
28 The Present I Needed to Appreciate 269
Part III A Joint Venture (1997-2008)
29 Maybe I Should Write It 283
30 Feelings of a Deprived Child 301
31 I Tried My Best 307
32 Ma of the Grand 315
33 A Deluxe Buffet 321
34 Mikaela: Different from Other Kids My Age 328
35 Rita: Lessons to Be Learned 333
36 The Abyss 337
37 Legacy 347
Acknowledgments 353