Going-away

This is one of those books that is a neglected masterpiece. Read it as soon as possible.

Going away is a brillient, poignent, funny yet deeply relfective and heartfelt book about the journey of a young man "away" from a dying america. His journey is not only through space, but through time as he revisits the places and people that he knew, worked with and fought along side. Battles, everywhere, for wage freedom and equality by workers against corporate bosses, old friends and comrades he meets. This book is powerful and entirely worth reading, and rereading.

How much does each of us know of the immigrant experience of our "crossing ancestors"--those people who left all that was familiar and arrived in a strange new world? Every immigrant's story is unique in its singular details. GOING AWAY by Ottilia Louise von Schalow and Lieselotte Katz proves this point.

Greta Adele and Ludwig Karl Ritter, a carpenter and cabinet maker traveled in 1906 from Germany to California with their three small children, attracted by prospects of well-paying work created by the aftermath of the San Francisco earthquake. Their letters--translated by the editors [the grandchildren of Greta and Ludwig)--form the text of GOING AWAY. The book is referred to as "Episodic Fiction." Apparently this means changing some real names and places in order to preserve the privacy of still-living descendents. In all other respects GOING AWAY is a work of non-fiction.

From the first day of their voyage Greta and Ludwig wrote letters home. Most of the letters were penned by Greta who described in vivid images the stench of seasickness and the unaccustomed hot climate as their ship approached Galveston, Texas. (San Francisco was subsequently reached by train). Early letters reflect happy optimism: an apartment in Alameda, a job for Karl, a warm and inviting climate. Within a year they purchased a fruit farm and built a home. Soon they owned a bigger farm while expanding their family at the same time.

As the years passed the letters began to reflect a gradual decline in confidence. Pessimism set in as financial problems grew, difficulties mounted, and prosperity proved elusive. While fellow immigrants and American neighbors thrived, the Ritters sank into debt caused by constant borrowing and over-large ambitions. Frequently Greta had to ask relatives in Germany for financial help. But the biggest burden came with the expense of each additional child--twelve in all by 1917.

Greta comes across as the ultimate hero of this story. Unlike Ludwig whose work took him away from the home, enabling him to make friends, learn English and soak up the new culture, Greta's days at home were filled with sameness: laundry, baking bread for the family, scrubbing, mending and making clothes, coping with ailments and accidents, seeing to the garden and animals on the farm--and bearing one child after another. As a result,her health declined preciptiously (today a doctor would warn against more pregancies). It was much harder for her to learn English, make friends and participate in a social life. She withdrew into hereself and yearned for the old country where she had always fit in, had been loved and valued. When World War I cut all communication with Germany for four years, Greta's psychological state deteriorated.

As Greta's health declined, she wrote less frequently. By the time she was the mother of five her back was giving out and her legs were swollen with varicose veins "the size of an egg." When the barn door hit her ankle and left her unable to walk for days she wrote: "I practically crawl since nothing gets along without me here." At one point she said she would be happy if God sent her no more "little blessings." But time and again she reports another birth, saying "eight now, and that's enough." Then, "eleven and we have all that we can manage." But the babies kept on coming. Greta envied her American neighbors' small families and listened to their hints at birth control solutions found at the pharmacy, but she never wavered from her devout Catholicism and German family traditions.

Between the age of 29 and 43 (14 years), Greta produced 13 children (one premature baby died). Although the book's preface praises Ludwig for being strengthened by adversity, for learning English, reading about farming, and making friends, the case must also be made for Greta She faced adversity by devoting all her strength rearing and educating her children and supporting Ludwig in all his ambitions and enterprises.

GOING AWAY is not a long book but it contributes significantly to the literature of the immigrant experience by documenting the fact that not all who came to the United States made a success of it. For Greta and Ludwig the better life they hoped and planned for was more completely realized in their children, all of whom achieved higher education and successful lives.

This is definitely a riotous "Lost In Translation," though I see from the date that this book came first. And there's no Tokyo, just the good old American midwest. But it's a wonderful tale about two peple meeting in (very) unusual circumstances and searching for meaning in their lives. All the Catholic girl guilt resonated deeply -- dating on Saturday night and then going to church on Sunday morning. And also the boys in the family always being allowed more freedom. I had no idea how Pedersen was going to wind this one up but she managed to do so nicely, complete with suprises and laughter. Every mother will want her daughter to read this book in order to demonstrate that we're not as bad as you think!

Was suprised that this is the same Laura Pedersen who hosts "Your Money and Your Life" on Oxygen. She is funny on the show but I thought she only wrote about personal finance for The New York Times and this is like a stand-up comedy book. I enjoyed it and think it would make a funny movie. My husband kept hearing me laugh out loud and wanted to know what was so funny and I had to read him parts and finally I said just read it yourself when I'm done.

Dove into this after enjoying Pedersen's wonderfully heartbreaking but humorous novel "Last Call." Now we move from Brooklyn, NY, to the Midwest. Anyone who has ever been a teenager or attempted to raise one will love "Going Away Party," which sums up so many of the conflicts inherent in coming of age today. Technology and the high cost of education have changed the landscape and not always for the better. It also contains a romance with an age difference that serves to show how our perspective on life changes as we mature. What I especially enjoyed was that drugs, abuse, and violence were not needed to make the passage to adulthood dramatic and fraught. It's angst filled enough without those and Pedersen also uses deft humor to keep things moving toward a surprising and touching ending.

This book--as do all of Cornyn-Selby's "books" begs the question: how could someone with such a poor grasp of English and earn the PhD she claims? At any ratem writing and English instructors will find it an excellent assignment: find the errors in punctuation, grammar, format, spelling...oh, right, the content. Appears to be cribbed from self-help books. Not an original thought to be found. Is this author for real?

What's in a name? Evidently, a lot! There are research studies in this book that I enjoyed reading about, but the best thing was the exercise to see if it might be a good idea for me to make a change. In fact, my professional name is a play on my nickname - easy for my circle to adjust to, and memorable when meeting new people! This stuff works and works well!

I haven't found any book that examined the affects a name change has on a person. We all have names and they influence us. 40% have names they don't like but HOW do you know if you should change? This is the only book that gives an exercise to tell you what you're in for if you change your name. I found it uniquely helpful and an all around interesting treatise on names in general.