Heirs of Yesterday

Set in fin-de-siècle California, this novel intertwines a love story with themes of familial loyalty and the tension between American individualism and ethno-religious heritage, addressing issues like anti-Semitism. The introduction provides new biographical insights into Emma Wolf, alongside an exploration of the late nineteenth-century Jewish community in San Francisco and the rise of Reform Judaism. It also situates Wolf within the literary realism movement, highlighting the complex notions of Jewish American identity during the early twentieth century.