Street Corner Dreams by Florence Reiss Kraut
What's It About?
A tale about dreams, love, loss, and identity, Street Corner Dreams is a tragic yet heartwarming story about the immigrant experience and the ways in which people respond to the obstacles thrown at them.Golda races off the ship at Ellis Island, frantically searching for her brother-in-law Ben.
Chaos has already struck and launched the main characters into emotional turmoil – just what they don’t need as they prepare with trepidation to face their new, uncharted lives in the United States.
Florence Reiss Kraut’s historical novel Street Corner Dreams (She Writes Press) captures in all its brilliant detail the life of an immigrant family in Brooklyn, NY, from 1914-1942. Over that period, they experience death and financial troubles, the effects of gangster violence, World Wars and antisemitism, and wonder with fear and uncertainty about how their families back home are affected.
Raw and Sympathetic Characters
Kraut writes a compelling tale on the ways in which humans deal with grief and what love really is. The characters are no strangers to loss, experiencing that sudden anguish within the first few pages. The display of each character’s actions and emotional response is a highlight of the story because of the rawness and relatability it provides. Ben becomes more sheltered and quieter within his grief, while Golda finds herself to be fueled by misplaced anger. The novel also examines whether love can bring those who are suffering together or whether it can drive them apart.
The beating heart of the novel is Golda: The Polish immigrant who faces nonstop distress as soon as she arrives in America. Kraut creates a strong yet flawed character, someone who has firm beliefs but also fails to navigate where her pain should be placed and directed. Her character provides the typical immigrant experience of having dreams and longing for a life that is so different from her own, a continuous theme growing of wanting something deeply and having no way of obtaining it.
Religion is a driving theme throughout the story, coinciding with what the characters think they should be doing vs. what they want, either out of necessity or longing. Golda often finds herself trapped under the weight of this burden, wanting to remain faithful to her Jewish heritage by keeping to tradition while simultaneously dreaming of other decisions she could be making instead.
Ben seems to waver in his faith as more years pass by living in Brooklyn, and Morty finds himself questioning his own religious beliefs as he gets older.
Religion Guides Family Through a New World
Despite these hiccups, religion maintains a voice of reason through Rabbi Levy, who helps the family numerous times through matters more than what is expected of someone in his position. He serves almost as a therapist on several occasions for Golda and Ben, helping them to work through their troubles and never letting them stray too far from who they are as they attempt to navigate this new world.
The last two parts focus mostly on Morty, the son of Ben and Golda, who goes on his own journey of self-discovery. In this section, the idea of love is more heavily emphasized as Kraut asks: What would you be willing to do in the name of love? Morty must make decisions based on his love for those around him while also dealing with the antisemitism that bloomed as WWII was brewing overseas.
A tale about dreams, love, loss, and identity, Street Corner Dreams is a tragic yet heartwarming story about the immigrant experience and the ways in which people respond to the obstacles thrown at them.
About Florence Reiss Kraut:
Florence Reiss Kraut is a native New Yorker, raised and educated in New York City. She holds a BA in English and a Master’s in social work. She worked for 30 years as a clinician, a family therapist, and CEO of a family service agency while writing stories and essays for publication. Then she retired to devote herself to writing and traveling widely. She has published personal essays for the New York Times, and her fiction has appeared in journals such as The Evening Street Press, SNReview, The Westchester Review and others. Florence’s first book, How To Make A Life, came out in October 2020. Visit her website.
