Memories of a Brooklyn Boy

Book excerpt: This is the story of Sol Schwartz, the youngest of three children born to Sam and Rose Schwartz, Romanian immigrants, who migrated to America in the early part of the twentieth century. Sol, born in 1925, relates about his stressful life growing up in Brooklyn as part of a somewhat fractured family. He relates his struggles with education, jobs, and business ventures and his battles with cancer throughout most of his life that was constantly attacking members of his extended family as well as himself. Being widowed twice forced Sol to cope with the problems of raising three children in a home environment with different mother images. Sols business responsibilities necessitated his being away from home frequently on foreign trips, complicating matters that at times were so stressful he considered suicide. Then a third relationship found its way into his life and gave him cause to want to go on living.