The novel Fire in the Springs is pure fiction, but it is based on my great-grandparents’ birth dates, times of immigration and year of marriage. After the passing of my grandparents and parents, I began to wonder how and why we ended up in America, a motley crew of Jews. By the time my wondering began, nobody was alive to fill me in on it. I recommend, dear reader, if you have living, elderly relatives and haven’t asked them about their roots and memories of immigration or settlement in the U.S., please do so now. It could reveal valuable and fascinating information for you, as it did for me. Besides, it couldn’t hurt.
Naming Names
Pictured above are senior citizens Rosalie and Carl Gersman. By the time this photo was taken, they had Americanized their names. I used their German names, Carl and Rosalia, because the story takes place when they were young, before and during their arrival in Hot Springs, Arkansas. In addition, those are the names listed in the 1920 United States Census. I chose to keep their true names, even though the story is fiction, to honor their memories. By immigrating, they saved our lineage from the Holocaust in Europe in the mid-20th Century. Leaving their country and culture to settle in an unknown wilderness called Arkansas must have been daunting and difficult. They are my heroes!
