Saturday, February 24, 2018

Still Missing Beulah: Stories of Blacks and Jews in Mid-Century Miami by Joan Lipinsky Cochran

MY REVIEW
on February 24, 2018
The clever blend of historical data, culture, and family dynamics paints a hard and realistic picture of a segregated Miami. The storyline weaves between past and present as an aging father shares his experiences with his newly divorced, middle-aged daughter.
Some subjects are hard to tackle and difficult to discuss. In Still Missing Beulah, Joan Lipinsky Cochran does this well. By adding the generation gap and how a bigoted man was able to raise a daughter who is the polar opposite, give a reader an understanding of the cultural influences of their respective eras'
The character Tootsie is bigoted, but not completely and that opens an interesting premise to explore a dark side of humanity and yet shine a light on the fact that boundaries are not always dictated by race or creed.
I loved the way stories were preceded by a short account of historical data. I was unaware of the turmoil in the 1980s and the extent of anti-Semitism.
A most worthwhile read.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
An image posted by the author.

Joan Lipinsky Cochran is a former journalist who now focuses on writing crime-related novels that explore subcultures of American Judaism. Her first book, Still Missing Beulah: Stories of Jews and Blacks in Mid-Century Miami, explores the racism and anti-Semitism that tarnished Miami's past and informed the relationship between the two minority groups. Three of the short stories in that collection have won literary awards. She is currently working on a novel about a woman whose life is endangered when she discovers her father was a member of the Jewish mafia. It was one of three 2011 Claymore Award finalists and an Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award quarter-finalist. When she’s not working on a novel, Joan is testing recipes and writing food columns and articles, playing classical and Irish violin, sailing, bicycling and reading.
VISIT AUTHOR AT www.joanlipinskycochran.com

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