On the Shore by Ann S. Epstein

"Hits its mark and leaves its powerful resonance and lasting impression." Daniel Mueller, author of Nights I Dreamed of Hubert Humphrey

Sam is sixteen and an American Jew. He lies about his age to fight in WWI.

Set in 1917–1925, On the Shore follows the upheaval in an immigrant Jewish family when, without telling his family, 16-year-old Shmuel Levinson (a.k.a. Sam Lord) strives to prove his manhood, and escape his father’s pressure that he become a rabbi, by enlisting in the Navy.

His smart but rebellious younger sister, Dev, mourns his disappearance, while chafing against her father’s expectation that she marry instead of pursuing a career in science. Their successful uncle, Gershon Mendel, confronts failure when he ventures beyond their sheltered Lower East Side community to search for the missing boy.

On the Shore offers a poignant look at the strained relationships that trouble the multi-generation immigrant families of today as well as yesteryear.

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Pub date: April 21, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-925417-32-6

Page count: 294