“Her new name would be Helen. No more Hinde from Lithuania. She would now be Helen of New York. She would be strong and free and powerful. This was where she was meant to be.”

What I loved about this story is the author used her family stories and history to write it and I think that is incredibly special. My great-grandmother traveled from Russian to America in 1912 and came through Ellis Island. I would love more then anything to know her story. I think that it’s wonderful that the author has that and was able to use it to write a fictional story!

I loved the main character Helen. She loves her family and cares about all of them very much. It was also nice to watch her make friends and fall in love and just adapt so well to her new life in New York. What I think the story conveyed so well was how immigrants viewed America as opportunity for a better life and a new start.

My only very small complaint is that the dialogue felt choppy at time but also english is a second language for some of our characters. It doesn’t distract from the story but it’s just something little that I notice.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book!

*I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a honest review*

A young adult immigration story, based on the author’s own ancestors. Fein drew on her family history to write Stitching a Life, weaving family stories passed down from previous generations.

Showing why people wanted to escape to the New World, and what drove over two-and-a-half-million Jews to flee Eastern Europe, I would recommend this story for readers who are looking to ease into the historical fiction genre. An incredibly well researched novel.

I’d also recommend reading the author’s notes for context.

“They fled poverty and anti-Semitism. They sought safety and prosperity.”

Stitching a Life is a wonderful true story of immigration to the New World at the turn of last century. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this book. The author is so blessed to have such a warm and caring family. I highly recommend this book.

I loved this story. My Grandpa came to New York in 1900, from Shlov in Russia. He was 18, and had 50 cents in his pocket. He came to the Lower East Side in Manhattan as well. This story could have been my family. I fell in love with the Breakstone’s, and a question I have for the author is, Are they any relation to the famous dairy company here in the US. I loved reading about Hester Street and the Lower East Side (my mom grew up on Rivington Street, the pushcarts, the apartments and the people,the food, the Jews...God Bless the Jews!!!! This book needs to be sold at the bookstore in the Tenement Museum! Thank you to Mary Helen Fein and to She Writes Press and NetGalley for the ePub. I loved this book!

Based on the true story of the Grandmother of the author, Helen Breakstone Fein. Helen was born (Hinde) in a small village in Lithuania to a poor Jewish family with no prospects for improvement or education. Her brother was in danger of being drafted into the Russian army at the age of twelve, so her father devises a plan for his family to go to America. Chaim Breakstone immigrates first and sends money for sixteen-year-old Helen to join him. She arrives at Ellis Island, meets her father and moves into her Aunt Rose's apartment on the Lower East Side of New York. Rose helps Helen find a job in the thriving garment industry and she and her father devote themselves to bringing the rest of the family to join them in the New World. Helen and her family build a new life and settle in New York.

A young adult inspirational story of resilience against all odds, family, friendship and love. Combining fact with fiction Fein tells the brave story of her grandmother traveling by ship to America by herself and the sacrifices she and her Father make to have the rest of the family join them.

What I Loved:
Following the story of Helen from Lithuania to America was just wonderful. Helen is the kind of character you just need to see succeed. I loved reading about her story and her determination.

My Synopsis:
This historical fiction is based on the author’s grandmother’s experiences but is a work of fiction. Helen (Hinde), just sixteen-years-old, lives in war-torn Lithuania where Jewish people are persecuted daily. At her brother’s 12th birthday, the army comes to take him away to force him into their ranks. After hiding him during the army’s visit, the family knows that they must leave to keep their children safe.

Helen’s father is first to go to America, working to save enough money to bring Helen over next so that she can assist in working and saving money to bring the next family member over until everyone is safely in America.

Helen travels by ship from Lithuania to America in search of a better, safer life for her and her family. She begins work in the garment section of New York and works hard to bring her siblings to America.

How I Felt:
Stitching a Life: An Immigration Story follows Helen on her journey to America and her life there. It was a beautiful story featuring a determined, hardworking main character, and her love for her family.

The main character is Helen, named Hinde early in the story. At just sixteen years old, she showed such amazing strength. I really enjoyed her character, and I feel like she is someone that young readers can look up to. She has a beautiful character arc as she grows and finds her way in this new world.

There is a lot of discussion of antisemitism and the impact on families. I think that this would make an excellent book for a middle school, high school, or college class, or book club discussion. There is a lot to be learned from the actions of the Jewish and non-Jewish people throughout the story, and it would make for a very interesting conversation.

Overall, this was a lovely story that was heartwarming and featured one family’s immigration story, but it is one that can resonate with a huge audience.

Content Warnings:
Anti-semitism.

To Read or Not To Read:
I would recommend Stitching a Life: An Immigration Story for readers that enjoy historical fiction, stories of family, or immigration.

This was an easy read with a very straightforward story that could be read by a junior high, high school, YA, or adult reader.

I was provided an advanced reader's copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

Here’s my book review of “Stitching a Life” by Mary Helen Fein. I got this book as an ARC through NetGalley.

This book follows the story of Hinde a teenage girl living in Lithuania during the turn of the century. Hinde and her family are Jewish, and during this time the Russian military has control of Lithuania. The Russians hate Jews, so Hinde’s family often faces anti-Semitism. Hinde and her father decide to immigrate to America to find work, so they can send for the rest of their family, and ultimately save Hinde’s 12 year old brother from being forced to join the Russian military. The book tells of Hinde’s journey to America, as well as her arrival to New York through Ellis Island. The book spans years, and shows Hinde working as a sewing girl to help bring her family to America, as well as her courtship and eventual marriage to a nice Jewish man.

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. This book is historical fiction, and it is actually based on the story of the author’s grandmother emigrating to America, which is really neat. The preface and epilogue tell more about the author’s family and fills in some of the other parts of the family tree. This book is categorized as YA, but I would say it’s more of a middle grades novel. The book gives a lot of background into that kind of takes away from the plot, but which would be helpful to a middle grade reader. The plot was almost too simple for me, but again, thinking about it with the lens of a middle grade reading, it would be perfect. There are no huge conflicts, and everything in this book is easy peasy.

I would have preferred a little more strife in this novel. Some parts almost seemed too unrealistic. I have family who immigrated to American through Ellis Island, and life was not easy for them. But for Hinde, in this book, everything always worked out.

I recommend this book for any middle grade readers who want to get their feet wet with an easy historical fiction read. If I taught middle school, I would recommend this for my students.

Stitching a Life by Mary Helen Fein is written from a personal perspective. This is the story of a family that moves from Lithuania to New York, one at a time, in order to escape persecution for being Jewish. It is a story of love and family. I enjoyed the history part and the story is one that needed to be told. Thanks to NetGalley and She Writes Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

I really enjoyed reading this book. It's a warm-hearted, gentle story that's a fictionalisation of the author's grandmother's journey from anti-Semitic persecution in turn-of-the-century Lithuania, to a new life in New York. Because she's chosen to stick very closely to the true story, there are perhaps not as many twists and turns as you might expect in a completely fictitious novel, but the love that Mary Helen Fein has poured into telling the story shines out, and I found myself caring so much about the main character that a couple of scenes made me cry. The details of life in 1900s New York, as people from all over the world are building new lives for themselves, were fascinating and beautifully drawn - at times you feel as though you're right there with them.

Stitching A Life is a charming portrayal of a young girl’s coming age. Telling the story of Hinde as she makes a new life in New York after the anti-Semitism of early 20th Century Russia, the novel is entertaining and informative, revealing what life was like in modern-day Lithuania at the turn of the century. It’s depiction of New York is vivid and evocative – from the work available, to the urban planning of the city.

The characters are portrayed with warmth and charm, it’s hard not to feel yourself wanting them all to do well as they make a new home for themselves in America.

I loved this peek into the author's family immigration story and their integration into life in NY City! It's a quick read and a sweet story that I'd recommend to others.

I was initially really excited for this book. As soon as I read the description, I knew I had to read it. Taking place in 1900, the book follows Helen as she travels from Lithuania, Russia at the time, to New York City. Like many Jews, Helen and her family are persecuted because of their faith. Fein based her book off of her grandmother's story, but it is one that probably would resonate with many Jewish and immigrant children. I felt a special connection to this story since Helen's journey is one that is very similar to my ancestors. My ancestors too had to leave Lithuania (Russia) due to anti-Semitism and traveled to New York in hopes of a better life and more opportunity.

The writing is very geared towards elementary to middle-grade audiences. It's simple and explanatory, making sure to define each new element of Judaism to its reader. It will fit right in amongst the other immigration stories on a school's shelf!


Thank you to Netgalley and She Writes Press for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Stitching A Life was a truly delightful read. The story is about the author's grandmother, and I couldn't think of a better way to honour Helen's courage, bravery and life! I think that this book would be a perfect introduction to Historical Fiction (in particular the topic of the Jews, WWI and WWII) for children and adults alike! It was lovely to read a book set in this time period, that didn't focus on the horrors Jews faced, instead it focused on the bravery and the incredible things lots of people achieved. It was great to learn about the life of an immigrant, and it was such an uplifting book. I found myself constantly smiling as the characters were so delightful and inspiring. The story teaches the importance of family, faith and hard work and the characters are fantastic role models for children and young adults. I think this book is wonderful for children and young adults to read, as well as people who want to read historical fiction that is uplifting.

Stitching a Life is fiction but is based on the author's grandmother's immigration story. The fact that it is rooted in truth and some of these things are things that her grandmother may have gone through makes the story resonate with me more. I spend a lot of time researching my family tree and one of my favorite things to discover in both my tree and my friends when I help them research their roots is the family member that came to the United States. I imagine their stories, and I imagine Helen's in great detail with this beautiful young adult novel. I can imagine the fear of having to leave her family behind, of having to travel all alone to meet her father in the United States, the anxiety about being in a new country. This was a great story that I urge anyone who enjoys historical fiction or learning about the past to read.

Stitching a Life is based on the author’s grandmother’s journey from Lithuania to New York City in the early 1900s.
I liked the introduction to Stitching a Life, and I felt it helped me as a reader to understand what the author was hoping to accomplish. It opens up with Hinde hiding her brother Max in a hole to avoid the Russian soldiers who come looking for him. The Army conscripts young Jewish boys around twelve for twenty-five years or possibly more, which is how old Max is. Lithuania is a part of the Russian Empire that is very anti-Semitic and has indoctrinated the (non- Jewish) people who used to be friendly with Hinde and her family not to treat them well. The Russian Tsars mandated all Jews had to move to the outlying areas, no Jew can live in a city, thus reducing their ability to earn a good wage. The Pale of Settlement is an area that Jews were restricted from 1791- 1917. It is very hard to live under the current living conditions, and after the incident with Russian soldiers looking for Max, Hinde learns of the plan her parents have until now, kept from her and her siblings. They will leave the old country for the United States to start a new life, one that doesn’t restrict them because of their religion and faith beliefs.
First, Hinde’s father will sail over to the United States, find work, and then send for Hinde to come overseas to work to bring her brother Max, and eventually the rest of the Breakstone family.
I really appreciated this since my own paternal grandparents came over from Ukraine to Canada during the early 1900s to escape the harsh abuse at the hand of the Russian Empire. It had never occurred to me that grandparents and their siblings were living in the Pale of Settlement, and thus under this harsh environment. I don’t have these kinds of memories or knowledge that the Ms. Fein does about her Nana in the old country and making a new life for herself and her family.
I enjoy reading historical novels, and while it was a story, it didn’t create much of what I would come to expect from reading other books in the historical genre. It was very character-driven and while there is nothing wrong with that, I found I kept waiting for something more to happen, some kind of twist to keep the reader coming back to read more. Despite this, I did enjoy reading it.
My Gratitude to NetGalley and She Writes Press. All opinions expressed are my own.

Stitching a Life is an excellent read. Based on the life of her grand,other, Fein deftly presents a historical backdrop at early 20th century life in New York City for Eastern European Jews. I appreciated the rich details and heartwarming characters. Although this is promoted as teen fiction, I think it's applicable for historical fiction in general. I loved how the author provided an epilogue with what happened with people in the story. I love the cover as well.

Wonderful research to portray the movement of a Jewish family under persecution to New York. I sometimes felt the descriptions took away from the story line and cut short some of the emotions. It's labeled YA but it seems a little simplistic for older teens yet the romance may not draw younger students. It seemed to lack real conflict and did not draw me in to hurry to the end. The characters were wonderfully developed. While I enjoyed the story and it did not draw me in as so many other books have.

The characters in this novel will stick with me in the best of ways. I am so thankful to have read this family’s story. I was transported to a different time and place. The imagination of the author and the attention to detail made this historical fiction come to life! With each page I was further transported into a different time and place. I could not put this down and was rooting for Hinde from beginning to end!

Mary Helen Fein's Stitching a Life tells us the immigration story of her grandmother in this nice, light fictionalized account.

Hinde, who chooses to go by "Helen" in America, travels to New York from Lithuania in 1900 when her Jewish family chooses to escape persecution.

Upon arriving in the US, Helen gets a job, makes friends, and finds some romance. The overall vibe of the book is positive, and there wasn't that much conflict in the story. That made for a quick and pleasant read.

I recommend this to people who are interested in Jewish immigrants at the turn of the century and are looking for something light. I feel like this would also be appropriate for tweens and middle grade readers. At times the storytelling style reminded me of books like Flora Thompson's Lark Rise to Candleford. Overall, an upbeat read!

3.5 stars, rounded to 4

Thanks to She Writes Press and NetGalley for this copy, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

3.5 stars.

This is the story of Hinde / Helen, a young Jewish woman who emigrates from Lituania to the US to avoid racial persecutions by the Russians. The story was lovely, extremely well researched and is based on the author's own family. However, I was a bit bored because the story is too character-driven for me. The plot was just slow -positive and lacking in drama, which was nice but only represents one small portion of the immigrant experience. I was expecting to know more about the tenements, the factories, etc. This is the very particular positive story of the author's grandparents, and I was expecting more of an overview into the general world of the Jewish workers at that time. Overall a good story but... not quite captivating for me.