My American Dream

<p> </p><p><strong>On August 4 1940 the <em>Seattle Times</em> featured a photo of a toddler sitting on a dock surrounded by suitcases and looking dazed. After a harrowing journey with her parents she'd just stepped off a boat and into her new life in America. Barbara Sommer Feigin was that little girl. </strong></p><p><br></p><p>Over seventy years later Feigin made a stunning discovery: her Jewish father had kept a detailed journal that chronicled their family's escape from Nazi Germany. Her parents had never spoken of it and she remembered nothing of their terrifying death-defying passage three-quarters of the way around the world-from Berlin to Seattle by way of Lithuania Russia China Korea and Japan before crossing the Pacific.</p><p><br></p><p>Featuring three intertwining narratives <em>My American Dream </em>is a memoir of resilience grit and grace. Feigin tells of her life as a young German-speaking refugee living in a small Washington town and yearning to become an authentic American. She details how she became a trailblazing executive in the advertising business in New York City-a completely male-dominated business in the 1960s-rising from the ranks and ultimately securing a seat in the executive boardroom. A devoted wife and mom of three sons (including one set of twins) she spent twenty-five years as a caregiver for her husband who suffered two serious strokes and remained fiercely committed to building strong family bonds during turbulent times.</p><p><br></p><p>Despite overwhelming odds her parents' grueling journey to America has fueled Feigin's lifelong resolve to dream big work hard and never quit. <em>My American Dream </em>is an inspiring tale of love dedication and how uncovering the past and preserving history can inform your identity.</p>