Book Talk: The Almost Legendary Morris Sisters
Hosted By: The Center for Jewish History
Ever since she was young, author Julie Klam has been fascinated by the Morris sisters, cousins of her grandmother. According to family lore, early in the 20th century the sisters’ parents moved the family from Eastern Europe to Los Angeles so their father could become a movie director. On the way, their pregnant mother went into labor in St. Louis, where the baby was born and where their mother died. The father left the children in an orphanage and promised to send for them when he settled in California–a promise he never kept. One of the Morris sisters later became a successful Wall Street trader and advised Franklin Roosevelt. The sisters lived together in New York City, none of them married or had children, and one even had an affair with J. P. Morgan.
The stories of these independent women intrigued Klam, but as she delved into them to learn more, she realized that the tales were almost completely untrue. The Almost Legendary Morris Sisters is the revealing account of what Klam discovered about her family–and herself–as she dug into the past. Part memoir and part confessional and told with the wit and honesty that are hallmarks of Klam’s books, The Almost Legendary Morris Sisters is the fascinating and funny true story of one writer’s journey into her family’s past, the truths she brings to light, and what she learns about herself along the way.
Julie will be in conversation with journalist and Jewish genealogist Jennifer Mendelsohn, founder of #resistancegenealogy, a project that uses genealogical and historical records to fight disinformation and honor America’s immigrant past. Co-sponsored by Shakespeare & Co. Booksellers
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