This is the memorable story of Knapp's grandmother, Rebecca Wernick Goldberg, born in Vilna, Lithuania around 1874.. Rebecca's family immigrated to the United States over a period of years, her father first, an older sister second, a trio of teenaged sisters, including Rebecca in 1889, and finally her mother and younger siblings. The Wernicks were very observant Jews. They ended up in Boston, Massachusetts. Rebecca married a less observant man, Nathan, who worked hard but did not manage to support his family. They spent the early years of their marriage constantly on the road with the growing young family in tow. Knapp does a lovely job incorporating family stories, written and oral while putting Rebecca's life into historical context. The family eventually borrowed money to buy a property in Wilmington, Massachusetts, where they built a house and settled down, creating more stability.. Rebecca was farsighted in ensuring her children got the eduction she never received. The title of the book comes from what Rebecca did to keep her family when she was widowed. She needed to make up for losing Nathan's income and was encouraged to break the law and sell her homemade wine during Prohibition. I loved the recipe, which doesn't seem to involve fermentation, but mixing pure alcohol with water and fruit (blueberries) for a fast wine with a kick. Knapp got the story "just right." The pictures enhanced the story. Well worth a read!

This is a charming family history about the author's grandmother, a formidable woman who worked in the illegal liquor industry during prohibition. Knapp's curiosity and excitement help bring the text alive, as she is clearly passionate in digging up the mysteries of her ancestor and the story she uncovers is interesting! The text falters due to it's middling between being neither memoir nor work of professional history, and leaning more into the latter would have helped. The lack of notes on archival and secondary sources, let alone absolutely no bibliography to speak of brings down the credibility and value of the work. Family histories are such wonderful sources for learning about history and seeing people of the past as people, but they still need citational support. It is disappointing that neither the publisher nor Knapp (who has a PhD and should know better), did not feel the need to put in such supports.


*I received a copy of this book via Net Galley in exchange for a review*

There's a trend going on here. I'm beginning to think that I enjoy true stories of mundane people more than those whose history have been dug out by every historian. This is the story of Rebecca Goldberg and her family. The hardships she had to endure alongside those she cared about still rings true for the immigrants today, and so many others. Do not expect too much drama. Do not expect too long of a story. I am glad I picked this up and also learnt a little more of the Jewish culture and their history. Most importantly, the discrimination they faced even before the Holocaust.

This review is written based on the ARC provided by the publisher through Netgalley.

I received an ARC through NetGalley for this review. This true story is very interesting however, it read more like a history book lesson than a novel. The story touched on the bootlegging but oh so briefly and even though it seemed to be well researched, it was lackluster in story telling.

Thank you to SheWrites Press and Netgalley for the advanced copy of Prohibition Wine in exchange for my honest review.

I was ver yexcited to read what's described it as the story of a female bootlegger and her trial.

Unfortunately, what I got was family history of the Goldberg family - albeit a well-written and meticulously researched family history.

There is no narrative here. No sense of drama or tension. Simply a relaying of facts of Rebecca Goldberg's life from birth to death. In fact, the highly anticipated bootlegging story is less than ten pages.

I'm sure this will be a wonderful heirloom for the Goldberg family that they will cherish for generations. As for the general reader, I would recommend they think twice.

NetGalley ARC | The premise of this book sounded great. As I started reading it, though, I kept thinking I was still caught in the prologue or some weird timeline of explanation. Unfortunately, this was the book.

There is no storytelling in Prohibition Wine. Poorly written, the narrative reads like a monotonous and descriptionless 8th-grade book report. I had to stop reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and She Writes Press for providing me with a free advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

🍷Book Review 🍷

🍷Prohibition Wine by Marian Leah Knapp

🍷Publication Date - 25th May 2021

🍷Thank you @netgalley for my copy to review

🍷In 1918, Rebecca Goldberg―a Jewish immigrant from the Russian Empire living in rural Wilmington, Massachusetts―lost her husband, Nathan, to a railroad accident, a tragedy that left her alone with six children to raise. To support the family after Nathan’s death, Rebecca continued work she’d done for years: keeping chickens. Once or twice a week, with a suitcase full of fresh eggs in one hand and a child in the other, she delivered her product to relatives and friends in and around Boston.

Then, in 1920―right at the start of Prohibition―one of Rebecca’s customers suggested that she start selling alcoholic beverages in addition to her eggs to add to her meagre income. He would provide his homemade raw alcohol; Rebecca would turn it into something drinkable and sell it to new customers in Wilmington. Desperate to feed her family and keep them together, and determined to make sure her kids would all graduate from high school, Rebecca agreed―making herself a wary participant in the illegal alcohol trade.

Rebecca’s business grew slowly and surreptitiously until 1925, when she was caught and summoned to appear before a judge. Fortunately for her, the chief of police was one of her customers, and when he spoke highly of her character before the court, all charges were dropped. Her case made headline news―and she made history.

🍷Prohibition Wine is a short no nonsense book which starts off showing Rebecca as a feisty teenager, a begrudging wife and later as a young widow who became a bootlegger.

🍷Prohibition Wine recalls the inventiveness and sheer courage with which many immigrants, widows, women who birthed and buried countless babies, women who faced poverty and discrimination––held the world together for future generations.

🍷A true homage to Eastern European Jewish immigrants of the era.

Thank you NetGalley, Marian Leah Knapp and She Writes Press for the ARC of Prohibition Wine. This is my personal review.
Prohibition Wine is the true story of one woman’s life and what she had to do to be able to support her family after the sudden death of her husband. She did everything she could to support her children and when she was approached to sell liquor during prohibition, she took the chance.
I was drawn into the story to see what this amazing woman had to do to overcome the hardship she faced in her life.

This is an interesting look at the life of a woman who lived 100 years ago. She became widowed and had 6 children to support, and eventually got into bootlegging to survive. A quick, easy read about this strong woman’s difficult existence. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Marian Leah Knapp, and the publisher.

Lovely quick read about the authors grandmother and her life. I enjoyed it; it wasn’t an in-depth read as, as the author states not many facts are known but did give a basic understanding of a 19th/20th century immigrant woman’s life in Boston. Would recommend for those studying the era

An interesting biography about the life of an individual in the 1920’s. I found it to be inspirational about how the individual overcame hardships and persevered to support her family, even if it meant doing something illegal at the time. A great read.

Thank you to #NetGalleyfor the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Prohibition Wine was an interesting look into the life of Rebecca Goldberg and her life from Russia to Wilmington, Massachusetts. After the sudden death of her husband Nathan, to make ends meet she illegally sold alcohol during Prohibition. She was a selfless mother, wanting a better life for her children. As an amateur genealogist myself, I was interested in the backstory and the detailed investigation it would have taken to uncover the details as described in the book.