The Communist and the Communist's Daughter

"Reading Jane Lazarre's beautifully written memoir I was quickly drawn into her Jewish, immigrant left-wing family life. The story is filled with longings for the old world of Kishinev and the dreams for a perfected new world of justice and equality. The daughter writes of her father as a veteran of the Spanish Civil War, a single father pursued by the FBI, and called to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. She brings to life their love and conflicts and his few years as a proud grandfather. She conveys the rich mixture of Yiddish language and Jewish history, the old world superstitions, the beauty and camaraderie of life in Greenwich Village of the 1950's, and centrally the deep love between a father and daughter. Her father's idealism and values are today central to the lives of her adult African American sons." — Rabbi Rachel Cowan, Former Director of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality

“I found this an intriguing, clear-eyed look at a corner of history, the Communist experience in America, that is usually just righteously condemned—or, occasionally, romanticized. Jane Lazarre’s vision of it is more subtle: she lived in this world as a child, and now looks back on it as a thoughtful adult.” — Adam Hochschild

"This extraordinary memoir captures the crazy, scary, intellectually heady experience of growing up with a single father who's a true believer and a daring Communist activist. You need not have lived through the Red Scare to appreciate the impact of deeply held politics on the dynamics of family life, the contemporary relevance of Jane Lazarre's personal story, and the lyrical grace with which she tells it." — Letty Cottin Pogrebin, author of, Single Jewish Male Seeking Soul Mate, and a founding editor of Ms. magazine

“Here, in these beautifully written pages, Jane Lazarre invites readers to join her on a difficult journey through memory, history, family and self-discovery. This daughter's story of her father yields insight into our own, never ending quest for love, justice, and understanding.” — Farah Jasmine Griffin