Shanda

A Memoir of Shame and Secrecy

By: Letty Cottin Pogrebin

Narrated by: Dina Pearlman

An intimate memoir from a founding editor of Ms. magazine who grew up in a Jewish immigrant family mired in secrets, haunted by their dread of shame and stigma, determined to hide their every imperfection—and in denial or despair when they couldn't.

The word "shanda" is defined as shame or disgrace in Yiddish. This book, Shanda, tells the story of three generations of complicated, intense twentieth-century Jews for whom the desire to fit in and the fear of public humiliation either drove their aspirations or crushed their spirit.

In her deeply engaging, astonishingly candid memoir, author and activist Letty Cottin Pogrebin exposes the fiercely-guarded lies and intricate cover-ups woven by dozens of members of her extended family. Beginning with her own long-suppressed secret, the story spirals through the hidden lives of her parents and relatives—revealing the truth about their origins, personal traumas, marital misery, abandoned children, religious transgressions, sexual identity, radical politics, and supposedly embarrassing illnesses. While unmasking their charades and disguises, Pogrebin also showcases her family's remarkable talent for reinvention in a narrative that is, by turns, touching, searing, and surprisingly universal.

©2022 Letty Cottin Pogrebin (P)2022 Tantor

Illumination

Her insights profound and inspiring. Her candor even more so — refreshing letting the stale air out of long held secrets which in their own way can erode a soul.

Thoughtful exploration of the Jewish immigrant experience

Thoughtful exploration of the Jewish immigrant experience and its impact on future generations. Sometimes sad, sometimes triumphant, a bittersweet story about family secrets and love and the impact these have on a community over time. Thank you.

Engaged from the start

I kept thinking about how her views put her at a distance from my age by about 15 years and how different those few years had made the story. Nevertheless my family and my elder sister were in that generation, and how the story helped me to understand them more fully. Also she brings in some isms that society often still condones . There is the question about how someone else’s shame covers or colors their near circle of family … how the family of an addict feels their family member’s shame and the guilt of keeping vs not keeping those particular secrets. This is a very important point

Great discussion material!

This is very thought provoking material, it would be excellent book club material! Recommend this great read!

Performance

It’s a shame that the narrator didn’t demonstrate the vocal quality that Letty complained about later in the book.