Letters From Rifka

Hesse, Karen

ISBN 10: 0805019642 / ISBN 13: 9780805019643

Published by Henry Holt & Co, New York, New York, U.S.A., 1992

About this Item

0805019642; INSCRIPTION FROM AUTHOR on title page; Clean, tight, unmarked; light wear at spine extremes; otherwise absolute minimal shelfwear; "In letters to her cousin, a young Jewish girl chronicles her family's flight from Russia in 1919 and her own experiences when she must be left in Belgium for a while when the other emigrate to America. " Based on a true story from the author's family.

Seller Inventory # 000531

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Letters From Rifka
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Co, New York, New York, U.S.A.
• Publication Date: 1992
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0805019642
• ISBN 13: 9780805019643
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Very Good+
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good
• Signed: Inscribed by Author(s)
• Seller catalogs:
  • JUVENILE FICTION::Historical::Other
  • COLLECTIBLE

About this title

Synopsis

"America," the girl repeated. "What will you do there?"
I was silent for a little time.
"I will do everything there," I answered.

Rifka knows nothing about America when she flees from Russia with her family in 1919. But she dreams that in the new country she will at last be safe from the Russian soldiers and their harsh treatment of the Jews. Throughout her journey, Rifka carries with her a cherished volume of poetry by Alexander Pushkin. In it, she records her observations and experiences in the form of letters to Tovah, the beloved cousin she has left behind.

Strong-hearted and determined, Rifka must endure a great deal: humiliating examinations by doctors and soldiers, deadly typhus, separation from all she has ever known and loved, murderous storms at sea, detainment on Ellis Island--and is if this is not enough, the loss of her glorious golden hair.

Based on a true story from the author's family, Letters from Rifka presents a real-life heroine with an uncommon courage and unsinkable spirit.

About the Author

Karen Hesse calls Letters from Rifka "a gift to my grandparents and to my heritage, and to people like Rifka who have made the passage between two worlds." Ms Hesse is also the author of Wish on a Unicorn and the forthcoming Lester's Dog and Lavender.

Karen Hesse lives in Williamsville, Vermont, with her husband, Randy, and her daughters, Kate and Rachel.