Book excerpt: This is a story about the rites of passage of a young boy growing up in the Catskill Mountains before it became the Borscht Belt. The author shares his lusts and loves, his young hopes and dreams, his fears and feats of bravery. He writes of a time when there were no fancy hotels with elaborate meals and famous entertainers. It was a time of small entrepreneurs opening boarding houses to accommodate city folk who could not afford to vacation in hotels. It is also the story of a familys struggle to overcome poverty and to cope with neighbors who were sometimes hostile because of religious differences, and sometimes gracious despite religious differences. The author looks back nostalgically at the interdependence of siblings despite their rivalries, and the unquestioning love and cooperation within a family struggling to succeed through emergencies, catastrophes, and aggravations. It is a well-rounded history of love, hope and aspirations, and the down-to-earth experiences of dealing with life in the not so long ago past. Throughout our lifetime together, my husband shared many of these experiences with me. He is now sharing them with you. I am grateful to have been invited into his past. I hope you will be too. Mildred Bluming, BA, MA School Psychologist, Los Angeles Unified School District