Street Corner Dreams
Just before WWI, Golda comes to America yearning for independence, but she tosses aside her dreams of freedom and marries her widowed brother-in-law after her sister dies giving birth to their son, Morty.
In the crowded streets of Brooklyn where Jewish and Italian gangs demand protection money from local storekeepers and entice youngsters with the promise of wealth, Golda, Ben, and Morty thrive as a family. But in the Depression, Ben, faced with financial ruin, makes a dangerous, life-altering choice. Morty tries to save his father by getting help from a gangster friend but the situation only worsens. Forced to desert his family and the woman he loves in order to survive, Morty is desperate to go home. Will he ever find a safe way back? Or has his involvement with the gang sealed his fate?
Another stunning work of historical fiction by Florence Reiss Kraut, Street Corner Dreams is an exploration of a timeless question: how much do we owe the families that have sacrificed for and shaped us—and does that debt outweigh what we owe ourselves and our own hopes and dreams for a better life?
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Advance Reader’s Reviews
“In Street Corner Dreams, an intense multi-generational family saga, Florence Kraut follows up her hugely insightful first novel, How to Make A Life, with an equally profound and deep exploration into the lives and struggles of early 20th Century Jewish immigrants to NYC. With clean, crisp storytelling we can't help but be as seduced as her characters who are lured into the dangerous and seedy world of gangs, the Mobs and the infamous Murder Inc. A great page-turner of a novel.”
— Howard J. Smith, author of the novels Meeting Mozart and Beethoven in Love, Opus 139
“In her new novel, Street Corner Dreams, Florence Kraut weaves a dramatic story of family, romance, and suspense set in the Jewish neighborhoods of Brooklyn of the 1930s, where new immigrants are trying desperately to get ahead, and pressure from gangs is part of daily life. The characters all have dreams of a better life—of security and the opportunity to build something new. But dreams have their price, and irrevocable choices and sacrifices must be made. The enduring power of family is at the heart of this compelling read.”
— Virginia Weir, author of Stay a Friend As Long as You Can and The Two Elizabeths
“Captured in beautifully written and tender descriptions of an immigrant family, the characters’ dreams coursed through me as I read Kraut’s story of grief, nostalgia, pity, and terror. Every word invited me to feel, care, love, and understand family, good and bad individuals, a struggling Brooklyn, and our country offering hope. This is writing at its most open, forgiving and tender—which is to say, this is a crucial, sense making, compassionate book that I couldn’t put down.”
— June Gould, Phd. author of The Writer in All of Us and Beyond the Margins: Rethinking the Art and Craft of Writing and the novel In the Shadow of Trains
“Street Corner Dreams will grip you like an afternoon soap opera, but as you follow these memorable characters you’ll also learn some fascinating hidden history. Florence Kraut has researched the Jewish gangs of immigrant Brooklyn and spun their stories into gold. The book is a tear-jerker at times, but also so much more. Kraut’s ear for dialogue and her ability to portray the small, telling gesture make the book a pleasure to read. You won’t forget the good Jewish son who gets drawn into the mob, or the strong Italian Catholic woman who tells him to quit if he wants to marry her. The book opens a chapter of history that most of us are unfamiliar with, and brings it to life.”
— Mary Fillmore, Sarton Women’s Book Award–winning author of An Address in Amsterdam
“The 1930s of Street Corner Dreams was an extremely challenging time — especially for Jewish immigrants to the U.S. Florence Reiss Kraut has crafted a compelling family saga with memorable characters swept up in the complexities of life in crowded Brooklyn tenements. Impacted by the Great Depression and omnipresent gangs, the author raises essential and enduring questions about the nature of love and family responsibility.”
— Meryl Ain, author of Shadows We Carry and The Takeaway Men
“In Kraut’s beautifully written, captivating tale of an immigrant family in New York City between the world wars, the Feinsteins struggle to attain their dreams. Sometimes love and sacrifice aren’t enough, but hope glimmers through for this unforgettable family that you will root for to the very end.”
— Rebecca D'Harlingue, author of The Lines Between Us and The Map Colorist
“In this moving and suspenseful novel about an immigrant Jewish family in early 20th century Brooklyn, an era comes alive. When Gilda sacrifices the independence she came to the US to find, will she find love? Will Ben’s pursuit of an honest trade in gangster-ridden New York enable his family to survive? When Morty tangles with gangsters in an effort to save his father’s livelihood, will he ever return? I came to care about these characters, to root for them, and to be grateful for the close-knit community that helps them make their way.”
— Wendy Sanford, author of These Walls Between Us: A Memoir of Friendship Across Race and Class