FOR MY GRANDPARENTS
Pauline, Harry, Ethel, and Louis, who shed the tongues, friends, and customs of their birth countries, and who rewarded their children and grandchildren—and their adopted nation—with the gifts of their sacrifices.

Their advice, both heeded and unheeded, could have filled a Library of Congress-sized warehouse of self-help books.^a

^a My paternal grandfather’s original surname was Berkowitz, but he changed it to “Berg” soon after arriving at Ellis Island, because he thought “Berg” sounded more American.