Today, Bookpleasures.comis excited to welcome Larry Zuckerman, the author of To Save a Life,a historical novel inspired by his Jewish immigrant heritage.

Larry’s grandparents,who spoke Yiddish, sparked his curiosity about their past andlanguage, which deeply influenced his writing. His previous novel,Lonely Are the Brave (2023), explores the life of a World War Ihero-turned-father in a Washington State logging town.

Larry is also the authorof nonfiction works like The Potato: How the Humble Spud Rescued theWestern World and The Rape of Belgium: The Untold Story of World WarI. 

His work has been featured on NPR, and he’s spoken at the WorldPotato Congress in New Zealand.

Join us as we exploreLarry’s journey as a writer and the inspiration behind To Save aLife.

Norm: Good day Larryand thanks for taking part in our interview:

Larry: A good day to you, too, Norm, and thanks forhaving me.

Norm: To Save a Lifeopens in 1909, amidst a tense sweatshop strike. What inspired you toset the novel during this time period, and how did you incorporatehistorical events into the story?

Larry: I fastened on 1909as a year when the garment union took decisive action, leading up tothe mammoth strike in November, when twenty thousand shirtwaistmakers walked off the job. 

I wished to evoke feelings in the airthen, such as anger at exploitation and belief that change waspossible, but I shied away from grand events, preferring to ground mystory with Malka, Yaakov, and the people they know. 

As the novel tookshape, I stumbled on details that marked 1909, like the new rule atEllis Island that prospective immigrants needed the equivalent oftwenty-five dollars in hand. 

But whatever the historical calendargave me, and whatever I learned about daily life on the Lower EastSide, I strove to make the time and place feel lived in. 

To me, thatmeans re-creating the era as its contemporaries would have viewed it,sticking closely to their mores and having them hint rather than makespeeches about what, to them, would have seemed too obvious todeserve mention. 

Balancing those subtleties against the reader’sneed to feel at home in the past is the hardest task in writinghistorical fiction, I think.

Norm: Malka’sfirst encounter with Yaakov is intense and life-changing. How did youwant this moment to affect their relationship and the rest of thenovel?

Larry: I wanted to set atone early on, to show the reader that life could be a bare-knucklesaffair for immigrants, a reality that Malka and Yaakov must face atevery turn. 

They sense that what they’ve just seen and done willmark them indelibly, except they don’t know how that will play out. 

And where some people who feel a nascent curiosity about one anothermight probe or offer observations, these two wouldn’t dream ofreferring to the horror they’ve just shared, let alone askquestions. 

The barriers they place between them also keep them fromunderstanding themselves, a difficulty that spills into other facetsof their lives. I wanted the reader to see that in this, as in otherways, Malka and Yaakov have more in common than they know.

Norm: You mentionin your author’s notes that your grandparents were immigrants. Howdid their experiences influence your writing of this story?

Larry: Surprisinglylittle, as it happens, partly because I know next to nothing abouttheir early years in New York, which I never heard them speak about. 

They may not have told my father, either, for his stories about themnever went farther back than the 1920s, when he was born. 

I do knowthat my grandparents worked in a sweatshop making hats, where mygrandfather lost parts of two fingers to an accident. 

I borrowed thatincident for a minor character. He also emigrated alone as ateenager—and, believe it or not, I only realized a couple monthsago that I’d borrowed that too, for Yaakov! 

Looking back, I think Idrew wider inspiration from my grandparents’ generation, ratherthan from their experiences specifically.

Norm: The novel isfilled with rich Yiddish expressions. What role do these expressionsplay in shaping the voices of your characters, and why did you chooseto include them in the dialogue?

Larry: Though I don’tspeak Yiddish, I’ve always appreciated the window the languageoffers on a worldview and way of life—ironic, sad, pungent,pessimistic, funny (because laughter is the best choice with all thatpain), yet hopeful too. 

Yiddish also sounds expressive, with edgyconsonant clusters and lilting cadences, so that even if you don’tknow what’s being said, you can sense spirit and force in thewords. 

My characters use that to comment on life, but not only byuttering spicy phrases; they invert what would be typical word orderin English. 

“You do me such wrong” becomes “Such wrong you dome,” because the speaker wishes to emphasize the wrong, which hesees as larger than his listener or himself. This is the speechpattern I heard at my grandparents’ table, and I thought it suitedthe outlook I was trying to convey in the novel.

Norm: Both Malkaand Yaakov carry deep secrets from their pasts. How did you developtheir backstories, and how do those secrets shape their actionsthroughout the novel?

Larry: I believe thatshame is the most powerful motivator, and I’ve written about it inall my books. When I conceived of this story, before I even assignednames to my main characters, I decided they’d each left Russiaunder shameful circumstances. 

That pointed toward emigrating alone,which would raise suspicions about an unmarried woman like Malka,while Yaakov would arouse a different sort of curiosity as a teenagerwithout parents. 

Once I’d figured out how they’d gotten to NewYork—what they wished to hide—I could back them into corners,separately or together, and force them to reckon with their desires. 

After what they’ve done, do they deserve happiness or the freedomfor which they sacrificed so much? That question drives the story.

Norm: Yaakov dreams of amusic career but ends up working as a cloak presser in America. Howdid you decide to blend his musical aspirations with the harshrealities of immigrant life?

Larry: I wanted to give him adream that nobody understands or thinks much of, and as an artistmyself, I know about that. Yaakov closely guards his belief thatmusic has a practical side, as a potential ticket out of thesweatshop. 

He thinks how wonderful life would be as a singing waitera detail I borrowed from the life of Irving Berlin), and thoughYaakov takes no steps to make that happen, his plan feels plausibleto him, comforting. 

He’s not looking for fame or riches, only adecent job in which he can reach people through music, a modest goalthat doesn’t feel like tempting fate. 

But, though he wouldn’thave used the word, he’s also testing out what it would mean tobecome an entrepreneur—the route that, incidentally, all threemajor female characters choose.

Norm: Malka’s strength andindependence are key to her character, yet she is also vulnerable.How did you develop this complexity, and what role does vulnerabilityplay in her journey?

Larry: I wanted Malka’s empathyto temper her hard, rough edges, to give her greater depth, and setup internal conflicts over her desire for independence. 

That’s why,early on, I portray her caring for a friend who’s suffered aninjury, then try to absorb her aunt’s exhortations to show hersofter side. 

The back story follows a similar pattern, as Malka actsto protect her younger sister, only to feel guilt at escapingRussia—which leaves her prey to an attempt at manipulation. 

To anextent, Malka sees how her fierceness hurts herself and others, butwill she learn to let people get close and tolerate the risk? Muchdepends on the answer, including whether she can adapt to the GoldenLand.

Norm: One of the mostpowerful themes in To Save a Life is the tension between holding ontoone’s cultural traditions and adapting to a new life in a foreigncountry. How did you explore this theme through your characters,particularly Malka?

Larry: Malka arrivesin New York armed with what’s inside her as a bulwark against thehustle, greed, and (she thinks) immorality of the Golden Land. 

Butshe soon realizes that leaving Russia for America offers a strange,compelling possibility she could never have imagined: the chance tochoose her own life. 

What a temptation, therefore dangerous, evokingdesires she didn’t know she had—and in Russia, desire always ledto trouble. Besides, nothing comes for free, so Malka fears that togain this new life, she’d have to give up her traditions. 

The othercharacters, who’ve lived in America longer, have made compromisesshe couldn’t tolerate, she thinks—as with her aunt’s “advancedideas,” or Yaakov working on the Sabbath. Whether Malka can findher own path within the constraints she requires will decide herfuture.

Norm: The immigrantexperience is often fraught with hardship, but your novel alsoexplores personal growth and resilience. How do you think Malka andYaakov embody these qualities, and what can readers learn from theirstruggles?

Larry: Both charactersemigrate alone, more or less with only the clothes on their backs, toa country halfway around the world. 

They suffer terrible losses, yetthey never give up; as circumstances change, they try to adapt,looking for a niche to inhabit, at least regarding livelihood andcareer. In their friendships and social interactions, they’re morerigid, but even there, they long for connection and keep askingthemselves what they might do differently. 

That gift of personalself-reflection parallels their willingness to reinvent themselves aswage earners and allows them the means to see into themselves. Thelessons here, I suppose, are: never give up; remain true to yourdreams, as best you can; and be willing to look at yourself fromseveral angles.

Norm: The novel isabout more than just romance; it also delves into historical eventslike labor strikes and workplace violence. How did you balance thesedifferent elements to keep the story engaging while also remaininghistorically accurate?

Larry: It comes downto what novel-writing gurus identify as a narrative’s public stakesand private stakes and having the two intersect repeatedly. 

Thepublic stakes—in this case, working conditions and the labormovement—keep intruding on the main characters, even when they’renot actively involved in that struggle. 

Further, the effects reachinto their private lives, not only their efforts to earn a living;the two spheres are never far apart. 

The juxtaposition can raise thetension by putting both stakes at risk at once, while imbuing thecharacters’ everyday problems with large issues like justice,freedom, and sacrifice.

Norm: Where can ourreaders find out more about you and To Save a Life?

Larry: I invite you tovisit my WEBSITE, which offers a glimpse into mypast, and information about To Save a Life and my other books. 

I alsowelcome you to my Substack newsletter, GeezerVision(geezervision.substack.com), short-short essays intended to raise asmile or prompt a thought worth keeping, which I post on Tuesdays andThursdays. 

Bookshop.org has a synopsis of To Save a Life and orderinformation, while my publisher, Cennan Books at Cynren Press,provides both those and a reader’s guidehttps://www.cynren.com/catalog/p/to-save-a-life).

Norm: As we end ourinterview, To Save a Life has been described as a poignant andinsightful look at the cost of seeking a better life. What do youhope readers take away from the story, especially in relation tocurrent issues of immigration and cultural identity?

Larry: As the grandson ofpeople who fled persecution in Eastern Europe, I wrote the novel, inpart, because the bigotry and xenophobia directed against present-dayimmigrants revolts me. (I finished the book well before the lastpresidential election; I feel even more strongly now.) 

To Save a Lifewon’t make a dent in hatred. But if I could have my druthers, I’dwant my readers to see Malka, Yaakov, and the rest as people justlike anyone else, with flaws and virtues, hardworking, looking fordignity and safety. They’re assets rather than threats—asimmigrants are, by and large.

Norm: Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors

Follow Here To Read Norm's Review of To Save A Life