Bren­da Serotte’s mem­oir of her col­or­ful and eccen­tric Turk­ish-Jew­ish fam­i­ly, and her coura­geous tri­umph over child­hood polio, is both a fas­ci­nat­ing sto­ry with scenes of great humor and deep pathos, and a beau­ti­ful­ly writ­ten account of a lifechang­ing experience. 

The fam­i­ly mem­bers, steeped in Sephardic-Turk­ish tra­di­tion and super­sti­tion, find their lives upend­ed when Serotte con­tracts the dead­ly polio virus as a young child. Her refusal to suc­cumb to despair despite her ter­ri­fy­ing ordeal speaks to the hope that lies with­in every heart, and gives this pow­er­ful book uni­ver­sal appeal.