Dedication

To my mother and my grandfather Shura, who had the courage to rescue me from a world of repression and hypocrisy and the foresight to teach me that in any world, it’s the human relationships that matter most.

With my everlasting gratitude to my husband, Leon, for his belief and encouragement and for demonstrating what writing could be in quality, clarity, and speed.

To Nina and Ally, for their contagious enthusiasm and curiosity and the ultimate writing inspiration contained in the words: “My mom is an author!”