Cousin Bella - The Whore of Minsk

"Cousin Bella -- The Whore of Minsk" recounts the life of prize-winning playwright Sherman Yellen's immigrant relative, who as a young Jewish woman in Russia was sold into prostitution, rescued by the author's indomitable grandmother, and immigrated to America where the most extraordinary drama of her life was yet to unfold. Bella, a childless woman, driven to acts of deception by her desperate love for another woman's child, recounted her life to the author in her last years; a story confirmed by the author's family. A gripping tale of a fierce love that led to child theft, incest, disgrace, and ultimately survival, "Cousin Bella" presents a vivid portrait of immigrant life in the first part of the 20th Century; a story where truth is both stranger and more astonishing than any fiction. Also included is Sherman Yellen's holiday classic, "A Christmas Lilly," a tender and poignant memory of a Jewish family's first Christmas tree in 1939, celebrating the author's compassionate and loving mother.