Description The Tailor’s Daughter by Lois Baer Barr does more than transport readers to an earlier time. The novel immerses us in a rich, sometimes, strife-filled day to day tale of life we can all relate to. Immigration, the Great Depression, a life-altering flood, and the impact of war all shape the story of the Toplansky family who just want what we all want, their part of The American Dream. Praise for The Tailor’s Daughter “Bess, the daughter of ‘The singing tailor,’ grows up in 1920s Louisville, haunted by the echoes of the old country, while yearning to fit into America. This lovely, lyrical novel brims with the details of a lost world: It is a coming-of-age tale, an ode to the power of music, and an exploration of what is lost—and gained—in the process of assimilation. An instant classic.” —Amin Ahmad, author of This is Not Your Country “The Tailor’s Daughter renders the experiences of the Toplansky family in exquisite detail, as they seek to make their home in Louisville, where those who are different are not always welcomed. The Toplanskys survive the Great Depression and the 1937 Flood of the Ohio River only to face personal tragedy. The family’s grit, grace, and humor make this novel a winning read for lovers of historical fiction. Lois Baer Barr is a skilled storyteller, whose prose is full of heart.” —Ellen Birkett Morris, author of Lost Girls and Beware the Tall Grass, winner of the Donald L. Jordan Prize for Literary Excellence “Inspired by the lives of the author’s elder family members, this novel spans the interwar years between the First and Second World Wars. As relatives from war-scarred Poland arrive in the United States, the family at the core of this novel rebuilds a sense of belonging and community, one interaction at a time, overcoming despair by the focus on the daily joys and sorrows that are the birthright of us all. On the horizon looms yet another war with existential consequences, but human lives cannot merely serve as the interstices that separate the bookends of history. Life is not determined; it is lived. This novel is a timely reminder to us all of the wisdom in the classic Jewish salutation, ‘L’chaim.” To life!’” —Michael O’Connor, Co-Founder, Managing Director, and volunteer Forging Opportunities for Refugees in America (“FORA”) “Beautifully moving, warm, and uplifting, The Tailor’s Daughter is about the power of love, compassion in the face of frustration, and the courage to start over. The novel is also a timely reminder of the wisdom in the classic Jewish tradition: “L’chaim” (to life) and “Tikkun Olam” (repairing the world).” —from a review by Dr. Tian Zhang in Valley Voices: A Literary Review, Vol 24:1
