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Description of  When the Diamonds Were Gone: A Jewish Refugee Comes of Age in America in the 1940s

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. 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