On Bittersweet Place by Ronna Wineberg
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In the early 1920s, the Czernitski family escapes anti-Semitism in Russia by immigrating to Chicago. By the age of ten, Lena Czernitski has experienced many hardships, including the murder of her grandfather and the uncertainties of living in a new country. Lena begins to record a list of her fears, which she returns to and reflects on throughout the novel, which include never speaking English well enough, never having a home that is safe, and no one helping her in school. She feels that she will always stand out from the other children and therefore envies her young cousin Leah Grace, who was born in Chicago and doesn’t have to struggle with otherness.
Source: Jewish Book Council
