Suddenly Jewish: The Life and Times of My Jewish Mother

From the bustling streets of Odesa to the vibrant cities of London, Montreal, New York, and San Francisco’s Jewish Fillmore District, Joan Moran’s captivating historical memoir of her mother weaves a vivid portrait of one woman’s quest for identity and freedom against the backdrop of a rapidly changing world. This story blends history and religion as it takes the reader through an engaging saga about what it means to deny one's Jewish identity.

Suddenly Jewish is not just one woman’s story — it's also the story of a family torn between tradition and rebellion, and the secrets that shape their lives: Rose, the matriarch, Esther, her rebellious daughter, and Joan, Esther’s daughter who learns the secrets of her family on the eve of her wedding.

The backdrop is San Francisco, the Jewish Fillmore district and the time in 1920s, 30s, and 40s. Meet Esther, a young Jewish woman struggling to find her place in the world and escaping from antisemitism in America. From her humble beginnings in 1911, she embarked on a journey in pursuit of reinvention, to hide her Jewish identity and to be accepted in to a gentile world.