a family’s world history.

So many people think they have fantastic lives. Some of them even write a book about it. 50% of these people shouldn’t. I am not one of them, and neither is David Laskin. In his nonfiction narrative titled The Family: Three Journeys into the Heart of the Twentieth Century, Laskin tells the story of his family and to make it interesting, the story spans over 150 years. Wise choice, Mr. Laskin. Our characters are Jewish family members from Europe (Russia and Poland), Israel, and America, and their three separate stories are told in chronological order, through WWI , WWII, and beyond.

Laskin followed his family history through decades of births, marriages and deaths. We meet each person born in each generation and learn of their hopes and dreams. Some became entrepreneurs, some traveled to the Holy Land, and most endured war and depression. The Family is a book about survival, and between its history and Laskin’s writing, it will pull you right in.