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Jewish Historical Fiction Novel By Westchester Author Florence Reiss Kraut

Historical fiction author and long-time resident of Rye, Florence Reiss Kraut, brings us her highly-anticipated follow-up to 2021’s How to Make a Life with Street Corner Dreams, a suspenseful family saga, love story, and gangster tale, wrapped into one great book club read (On sale: November 14, 2023; She Writes Press; ISBN: 978-1647425913; Price: $17.95). Street Corner Dreams is an exploration of a timeless question: how much do we owe the families that have sacrificed for and shaped us—and does that debt outweigh what we owe ourselves and our own hopes and dreams for a better life?

Just before WWI, Golda comes to America yearning for independence, but she tosses aside her dreams of freedom and marries her widowed brother-in-law after her sister dies giving birth to their son, Morty. 

In the crowded streets of Brooklyn where Jewish and Italian gangs demand protection money from local storekeepers and entice youngsters with the promise of wealth, Golda, Ben, and Morty thrive as a family. But in the Depression, Ben, faced with financial ruin, makes a dangerous, life-altering choice. Morty tries to save his father by getting help from a gangster friend, but the situation only worsens. Forced to desert his family and the woman he loves in order to survive, Morty is desperate to go home. Will he ever find a safe way back? Or has his involvement with the gang sealed his fate?

Street Corner Dreams is a beautifully written and engaging second novel that will be the perfect addition to book clubs this winter. Consider it for Jewish historical fiction, city life fiction, and book club roundups.