Overview
A rare glimpse into what it was like for a Jewish refugee to come of age in America during World War II, this unique memoir focuses on the struggles of assimilation. After a grueling and dramatic escape from occupied Poland, eight-year-old Julian and his mother arrive penniless in America in 1941 with big plans. Julian’s beautiful, former socialite mother Barbara wants to regain her former social status, while Julian just wants to fit his war-ravaged psyche into the American way of life. As Barbara climbs her social ladder, she succeeds in opening doors for herself but, in the process, slams shut the doors of opportunity for her son. Despite his mother, Julian forges ahead as he finds his own American dream.
Reviews
“A sad and curious memoir that will make others with unhappy childhoods know they're not alone.” —Kirkus Reviews
“When the Diamonds Were Gone is a piece of literary magic.” —Douglas G. Hearle, author of Outsource
“Having escaped the Nazis in wartime Poland, young Julian grows up in New York and Connecticut where he tries to separate himself from his driven, domineering mother and live a ‘normal’ American life. Written with warm wit, this coming-of-age memoir reflects America in the 1940s and the experience of an immigrant youth trying his best to belong. His engaging, candid, often humorous story is of historical and cultural importance—and is just plain fun to read.” —Linda Collison, author of Looking for Redfeather
“It is nearly incomprehensible to imagine the hardships of Julian’s early years. But to overcome them and be able to write about the events with virtually no hint of resentment or bitterness is the work of a master. Cherish the man and his work.” —Bob Wirz, Wirz & Associates
“The ends of the circle meet: the story that began with an escape over the Carpathian mountains in Mother and Me now concludes in When the Diamonds Were Gone at the studios of Twentieth Century-Fox in L.A. Truly this journey should be on the big screen.” —Linda Merlino, author of Room of Tears
“When the Diamonds Were Gone is a captivating collage of silent panic attacks, fits of nervous laughter, and flashbacks of prepubescent infatuation. For Padowicz as an author, self-deprecating humor is not just a coping mechanism to make sense of his turbulent and adventurous childhood but also a poignant literary tool that sets his series apart from other Holocaust memoirs.” —Marina Julia Neary, author of Martyrs & Traitors: A Tale of 1916
Author Biography
Julian Padowicz is an award-winning author, screenwriter, and documentary filmmaker. He is the author of The Best Sunset in Venice; Escaping the Holocaust; Loves of Yulian; Mother and Me: Escape from Warsaw 1939, which won ForeWord magazine’s Book of the Year award in 2006; A Ship in the Harbor; and Writer’s Block. He lives in Stamford, Connecticut.
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