Join us in a virtual online room to discuss a work of historical fiction with contemporary significance.

A Tale of Two Citizens,featuring a conversation with the author, Elyce Wakerman, moderated by Barbara Viniar. The Book: A lie is the only thing that can get twenty-year-old Harry Himelbaum past the cold scrutiny of Ellis Island’s immigration official, Will Brown. A lie that locks them in a deadly battle. It is 1929. At home, economic depression and dust storms ravage America, and abroad, the goose step of Nazism is intensifying. Widespread fear of “the other” has reached a fever pitch. Against this tumultuous backdrop, two families share the spotlight in this sweeping saga: the Himelbaums of Poland, and the Browns of Iowa. Based on the true story of the author’s father, this heart-wrenching clash of love and loyalties is a picture of an America torn between being a symbol of hope for immigrants and a proud nation fighting to re-create itself.

The Author: Born and raised in Washington Heights, NY, Elyce Wakerman is the author of Father Loss: Father Loss: Daughters Discuss Life, Love, and Why Losing A Dad Means So Much and Air Powered, The Art of the Airbrush. Her debut novel, A Tale of Two Citizens, was published by Yucca Publishing in February 2015. Feature articles and op-ed pieces have appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The Jewish Journal, and The Los Angeles Daily News. She taught writing at California State University, Northridge for fifteen years, and lives in Sherman Oaks, California with her husband, filmmaker Jeff Werner, where she is currently writing a screenplay.

Note: A Tale of Two Citizens is available in hardcover and as an e-book.