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A Cobbler’s Tale : Jewish Immigrants Story of Survival, from Eastern Europe to New York’s Lower East Side by Neil Perry Gordon is a historical-fiction book based on the experiences of the author’s family. This is Mr. Gordon’s first novel.

A Jewish cobbler named Pincus Potasznick is leaving his kids and pregnant wife to try and make it in America. The year is 1910, antisemitism is prominent but the Jews of Europe still feel safe, except those who can see the writing on the wall.

On the voyage across the Atlantic, Pincus meets Jakob Adler from Warsaw. Together the two immigrants work hard to start up Pincus’ cobbler shop, and along with Jakob’s illegal activities they are actually able to make a living. Pincus, however, has to get his family out of Europe as World War I rages on.

I have to admit that I don’t know much about the European Jews before World War II, or the exodus from Poland around the turn of the 20th Century. After all, there were plenty of Jews in Poland for the Nazis to murder.

A Cobbler’s Tale : Jewish Immigrants Story of Survival, from Eastern Europe to New York’s Lower East Side by Neil Perry Gordon is an easy to read, almost YA, entertaining book. The author keeps the reader interested from chapter to chapter (most very short).

I thought the last part of the book could have been edited out. It really didn’t add anything to the story and just made the book longer, while keeping the main story which the reader was following on the sidelines.

The book gave me some good insight about the treatment of Jews in the early 1900s, while telling an interesting tale, with a few twists to boot. The author wrote that this story is partly based on his family’s experiences, which makes the book take on more meaning than usual. ( )

Pincus Potasznik is a Jewish cobbler living in Galicia. In 1910, he receives an opportunity to travel to New York and set up a landsman society through his rabbi. Pincus decides to travel to New York making the decision to leave his pregnant wife Clara and their children at home and return for them later. On the voyage to New York, Pincus does not fare well, but with the help of Jakob Adler, her makes it. Jakob befriends Pincus and they decide to help one another after landing. However, Jakob is running from an accidental murder of a Warsaw crime boss and has fallen right into the Jewish gangs of New York with boss Leo Gorpatsch. On the boat over Pincus also has his palm read and receives a warning to bring his oldest son over within the year. With the help of Jakob's connections and Pincus' skills, they set up a cobbler shop which also fronts as a way for Jakob to collect payment for Gorspatsch. Soon Pincus is so busy with his shop and Landsman Society that he can't imagine finding time to go home to retrieve his family. Back in Galicia, four years have passed. Clara has had her baby and the children have grown. She has kept her home and the cobbler shop running. War has broken out near Galicia. Pincus and Jakob plan to rescue the family while delivering a package overseas for Gorspatsch. This opens up a whole new world of trouble for everyone, but also a world of hope.

A Cobbler's Tale combines an immigrant's story along with the suspense of the Jewish Mafia, World War I and mysticism. The story focuses on Pincus, but the point of view bounces between Pincus, Jakob and Clara giving a rounded to view to the immigrant experience and the time Clara was left in Galicia. I was surprised at the reach of the Jewish Mafia. Pincus and Jakob might not have survived their first years with same ease if it were not for Gorspatsch, although it would have saved them a world of heartache later. PIncus' journey closely reflected that of a Jewish immigrant at the time and was loosely based on the author's grandparents. The writing easily conveyed the living conditions and the feeling of community within the Lower East Side. I felt a lot of sympathy for Clara's character, left to raise children, run a shop and survive in a war zone without knowing when Pincus would come back for her and the children. Her strength and courage shone as Clara protected her children and helped her community. Jakob's character was very interesting, always seeming to find trouble and falling in with the gangs, despite his friendship with Pincus, he tends to cause trouble for him over and over. There was a layer of added suspense and mystery with PIncus' oldest son, Moshe and his talent of foreseeing grim events. Known as a tzaddik, Moshe's talent can help his family, but is sought out by others. Incorporating this mysticism creates an exciting and dangerous ending that pulls together Pincus' journey. Overall, A Cobbler's Tale has a lot going on and offers an action packed historical journey of a Jewish immigrant with a touch of magic.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. ( )