View from Here

The View From Here

THE VIEW FROM HERE is a rich, compelling testament to the strength and resilience of the human spirit. Frieda Berman's clear, honest story illustrates the Jewish immigrant experience, from escaping the pogroms of Russia in 1920 to fleeing the persecution of the Nazis in Romania, to discovering love and building a home in a New Jersey suburb. Frieda bravely examines her fears, sadness, and regrets with infectious candor. Frieda Berman offers us an important historical perspective on the struggles and triumphs of women from her generation. It gave me even more appreciation for the choices and options we have available today, while giving me firsthand insight into the difficulties the women of yesterday faced and the strength and courage they needed to survive.

- Robyn Hatcher

What happens when the curtain of words — daughter, wife, mother, grandmother — is pulled back and the woman is revealed? Describing fleeing pogroms and Nazis as a child, to living on her own for the first time at age eighty-five, THE VIEW FROM HERE tells the story of courage and determination to live and love in the face of crisis and loss. In the cracks of the hard life so many immigrants faced in America, Frieda recognizes the poetry around us makes the day and the days stack up to make a life.

- C.O. Moed

Joyce McKee is a freelance screenwriter who lives in New York City with her husband and two sons.