"Gittle, A Girl of the Steppes" was inspired by the handwritten memoirs of the author's grandmother, a spirited Jewish woman who grew up in 19th century Ukraine, then controlled by Russia. Gittle is only 10 months old when the family sleigh overturns in the wintry countryside and her mother is killed. Gittle is found alive, rescued from wolves, and becomes her father's favorite, educated beyond the norm for girls in those times. But at sixteen, she loses her father and submits to his dying wish that she join his wealthy cousin's household. Although the family welcomes her, she is almost raped...
"Gittle, A Girl of the Steppes" was inspired by the handwritten memoirs of the author's grandmother, a spirited Jewish woman who grew up in 19th centu...