The Division Street Princess

De: Elaine Soloway

Narrado por: Elaine Soloway

Set in the 1940s, Elaine Soloway's memoir takes its title from the street that Studs Terkel exalts in his classic book, Division Street: America, and from the pet name her father gave her.

Soloway lived in a three-room flat above her family's grocery store. In her tale of bookies, poolrooms, sidewalk playgrounds, and relatives who lived down the block, we learn about her loving but embattled parents, her adored older brother, and neighborhood kibitzers. Along with her recollections of a lively, unique community, she also shows the underside of childhood and urban life.

Although far from the Holocaust and the war overseas, Soloway faced dangers close to home when a child her age was horribly murdered and when predators preyed on voiceless little girls. As Soloway struggled to find her own identity, the family store and Division Street waged battles, too, for postwar prosperity, television, supermarkets, and suburbia threatened an end to corner stores and to old neighborhoods everywhere.

©2006 Elaine Soloway (P)2022 Elaine Soloway

WHO DOESN’T LOVE ELAINE?

I think just about everybody I know is a huge fan of the incomparable Elaine Soloway and her insightful, hilarious, thought-provoking writing. She's always a joy to read, and now, with the release of her first audio book, to listen to as well.

“The Division Street Princess” is a beautifully crafted memoir of her childhood in 1940s Chicago. As with the best memoirs and novels, it’s so richly detailed I felt as if I was the one remembering the sounds, the smells, the family dynamics, and the adventures experienced by the young Elaine Shapiro. Her stories are by turn heart-breaking, hilarious, illuminating, and even occasionally, terrifying and angering. Her childhood was so unique, yet so familiar.

Elaine narrates “Princess” herself, her charmingly droll delivery perfectly complementing her vivid writing. You can hear the young girl clearly through her eight decades of life experience.

This is a perfect book for listening – do yourself a favor and get “The Division Street Princess”. Highly recommended! You can find it on Audible, which I signed up for just for this book. Don’t know if I’ll stick with the service -- I definitely will if they offer more of Elaine’s books! They are well worth your time.

A beautiful homage to a time & place

My mother grew up on Division street in this period. So touching. Elaine captures the culture & Jewishness of the iconic Chicago neighborhood. Loved it!!