Hands of Gold by Roni Robbins

 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Hands of Gold: One Man's Quest to find the Silver Lining in Misfortune

Author: Roni Robbins

Publisher: Amsterdam Publishers

Release Date: 2.4.22

Publisher's Summary

Will Sam purge his guilty conscience before it's too late? Will he atone for his offenses and find solace in the final countdown?

Sam Fox spent his whole life running against the hands of time. He is now racing to set the record straight about secrets he and Hannah, his wife of 65 years, have been harboring from their children and each other.

Hands of Gold, loosely based on real events, follows Sam on a journey that takes him from war-torn Europe at the turn of the 20th century, through the Great Depression and labor union reforms in America. Determined to make a lasting mark in his new homeland, Sam faces many hardships, not the least of which includes contracting tuberculosis, but he refuses to let this deter him from his ambitions. During a seemingly mundane workday, he shields 200 coworkers from a disgruntled gun-wielding employee. His actions saved the lives of many, making his escape from the notorious Auschwitz concentration camp – wherein his family suffered a deadly fate – a destined event.

As Sam comes to grips with his past, a gold watch from his grandmother, lost and buried during the Holocaust, will find its way back to him. Through this and other blessings, Sam learns to find the silver lining in his everyday struggles by holding onto his loved ones, along with a little self-reliance and even a few miracles.

My Review

As a book reviewer, I am afforded the opportunity to read a wide variety of books. I have worked with major and independent publishers, read the hottest books months before they hit the bestsellers charts, and built relationships with some of my favorite authors. However, some of my most rewarding experiences have been discovering what I might call "the hidden gems." These books are often not the ones my fellow reviewers have on their radar, or the ones that big publishers are putting their marketing dollars behind. They are the stories that shine all on their own. Hands of Gold stole my heart right from the start when, in 1991, Sam's daughter gives him a tape recorder to keep him busy at the nursing home while he awaits his wife's return from the hospital after a broken hip. 

"Now where to begin with this taping for Eliza? I was a decent man, I suppose. Had a few adventures more than my share of challenges. Loved and was loved. Worked hard for my family. Could have even been considered a hero for a short spell. That and a nickel might have bought some day-old bread at one time. But there was more. Certain details from our early lives that Hannah and I, together, finally unleashed from our guilt-ridden vaults and agreed, just days earlier at the hospital, that I should share with the children."

Sam begins his story in 1905 in the village of Jacovo, Hungary, explaining that "Jacovo was actually part of Slovakia when my older siblings were born there, Hungary when I came along, and Czechoslovakia in my teens. It's in the Ukraine now. But I digress." He shares stories of his early childhood with 12 brothers and sisters at home, his schools closing with many teachers sent off to the army, learning to farm from his father, and traveling to a nearby village where there was a Yiddish theater. As Sam grows and his struggles increase, his storytelling style doesn't lament the terrible or brag about the wonderful. He delivers his tale in such a way as to intoxicate and fully submerge the reader into his daily life and experiences. 

A majority of the book spans the 20th century, but the topics are still extremely relevant today--consider books about the Holocaust being banned, the rise of anti-Semitic hate crimes, and Russian troops being stationed at Ukraine's borders. Author Roni Robbins has produced a masterpiece of fiction based loosely on the lives of her immigrant ancestors. Her characters are strong yet tender, broken but resilient. Hands of Gold should not only be at the top of any Jewish-American novel lists but also be added to any current event and outstanding debut collections. 

About the Author

Hands of Gold capitalizes on award-winning author Roni Robbins' 35 years as a published writer. Currently an editor/writer for Medscape/WebMD after serving as associate editor of the Atlanta Jewish Times/The Times of Israel, she has a seasoned history as a staff reporter for daily and weekly newspapers and as a freelancer for national, regional and online publications. Robbins' freelance articles have appeared in The Huffington Post, Forbes, the New York Daily News, Adweek, WebMD and Healthline. She wrote for the Mother Nature Network; The Forward; FromTheGrapevine; and Hadassah magazine, among others. Robbins was also a staff writer for Florida Today/USA Today, The Birmingham News and the Atlanta Business Chronicle/American City Business Journals. In addition to major CEOs and politicians, she has interviewed such celebrities as Wolf Blitzer, Andy Gibb, Hank Aaron and Usher. In 2009, Hands of Gold was a quarterfinalist for historical fiction in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest. Robbins also won three Simon Rockower Awards for Jewish journalism from the American Jewish Press Association, including an investigative piece about Jewish seniors who feel Out of Touch in nursing homes. Other prestigious news-writing awards come from The State Bar of Georgia, the Alabama Associated Press and the South Carolina Press Association. Hands of Gold is her first novel.

For more on Robbins and her writing career, visit http://ronirobbins.com.

New Year's Resolutions: Stress Less and Read More!

 

Check out my latest article for the January 2022 issues of Naples, Johns Creek, Buckhaven, and Alpharetta Lifestyles magazines "New Year's Resolutions: Stress Less and Read More!"

This year, move away from complex habits and constant busyness. Instead, focus on slowing down, becoming more mindful, and nurturing yourself. Learn to let go of productivity guilt and allow yourself the luxury of getting lost in the pages of a book. Here are two new releases to help you get started. 

I Didn't Do the Thing Today: Letting Go of Productivity Guilt by Madeleine Dore (releasing January 11)

Do you struggle to complete a never-ending daily list of tasks? Do you push yourself to do more and more, but somehow no matter what you accomplish, you still feel disappointed and guilty at the end of the day? Do you think you should always be doing more because there is always more to do? Wondering how other people seemed to have it all figured out, Madeleine Dore spent five years interviewing people she admired in an attempt to uncover their secrets for being more productive, successful, and prolific. She learned there isn't a perfect recipe for getting things done, the ideal routine that maximizes every minute of the day is a myth, and constantly holding ourselves to unattainable daily standards is simply exhausting us. In I Didn't Do the Thing Today: Letting Go of Productivity Guilt, Dore shares many of the insights she gleaned from her interviews in order to help us stop comparing ourselves to others, to become more realistic about our expectations, and overcome our constant worry about wasted time. Letting go of your productivity guilt and embracing the unexpected creative moments that each day brings you can broaden your definition of a day well spent, bringing deep connection and fulfillment to your daily life.  

Postcards: The Rise and Fall of the World's First Social Network by Lydia Pyne

In 1909 the United States Post Office was $17 million in debt ($483 million today,) primarily due to the immense and exponential drain on our nation's postal resources as Free Rural Delivery routes expanded. Amazingly, just two years later, the Post Office announced a profit of over $200,000 ($5.7 million today.) How? Postcards! The hundreds of millions of postcards Americans were sending during the Golden Age of Postcards (1905-1920) became a lifeline for the Post Office at a time when it desperately needed Americans to mail more items. In addition to learning how this small piece of mail saved the United States Post Office, Lydia Pyne's Postcards: The Rise and Fall of the World's First Social Network takes readers on a global journey through revolutions, social movements, scientific and technological discoveries, and sentimental personal connections. In addition to providing an all-encompassing look at the cultural and historical significance of postcards themselves, this book also examines the details of postcards as the first worldwide social network. The analog precedent to today's image-based photo-sharing platforms, the social network of postcards over a century ago, is equivalent to the short messages we currently consume each day on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and TikTok. Postcards is both a marvelous, in-depth analysis of physical postcards and their circulation systems and a thought-generating look into how a version of almost everything you see on your current digital social media networks was first produced, composed, and mailed as a postcard.