Author of THEY WERE LIKE FAMILY TO ME, a collection of linked stories illuminated with magical realism, following the inhabitants of a small town in 1942 Poland and tracing the troubling complex choices they are compelled to make. Finalist for The Story Prize and Honorable Mention in the 2017 ALA Sophie Brody Medal for achievement in Jewish Literature. Originally published as IN THE LAND OF ARMADILLOS. Columnist for the Jewish Standard.
Okay, this sounds weird, but I wanted to write a light-hearted story based in the Holocaust. After all, as Gunter Grass writes, "On sorrow floats laughter." The new story is called, The Whore of Solna Street. It's 1942, deep inside German-occupied Poland. The matchmaker offers Erno Hammer, a poor tailor, the most beautiful girl he's... Continue Reading →
HELEN MARYLES SHANKMAN 