Carol Ascher Boeken

Set against the backdrop of the 1951 Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education case, a young girl navigates her identity as the daughter of Jewish refugees in Kansas. Amidst a flooding crisis, Eva Hoffman witnesses her family's struggle with prejudice and the importance of courage as they open their home to other displaced individuals. The story explores themes of resilience, community, and the impact of historical events on personal lives, highlighting Eva's growth and understanding of complex social issues.

"Born several weeks after her parents' arrival in the United States, Carol Ascher came of age in Topeka, Kansas, where her father, a Vienna-trained lay analyst, found work among the group of refugee clinicians recruited there for the Menninger Clinic. Growing up, Ascher's challenge was to reconcile the Midwestern views of her community; the irrepressible optimism of her mother and her mother's tendency to romanticize her Berlin childhood; and the more sardonic views of her father and his highly cultured emigre circle, for whom memory was both illness and cure."

The story explores the strained relationships within the Rosen family, focusing on Peter, an elderly professor, and his estranged daughter Marlene. After Peter's accident, Marlene begins to visit him frequently, prompting a reevaluation of their past and the emotional distance that has kept them apart for years. As they navigate their complex history, themes of family, reconciliation, and the impact of time on relationships emerge, highlighting the struggles and resilience of three generations of Rosens.