An Out-in-the-world Tale About Never Tell Your Name
Josie Martin -- September 21, 2008
Never Tell Your Name is Ms Martin's beautifully told memoir of childhood survival amidst the horrors of World War II. Here, Josie tells us a story of how far a writers' work can reach.
Two weeks ago, the local Chabad Rabbi's wife who had read my book, called to have coffee with me. This could only be at Starbucks because Starbucks is Kosher. I said how about the more accessible Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf? She paused, "I'll have to ask," she said. The Rabbi who must have been sitting nearby, immediately gave permission. We met at the Coffee Bean on De La Vina last Wednesday
She is a traditional wig-wearing "Rebbetzin". A wise and well-read woman who teaches Torah, Hebrew, Jewish literature, etc. She is the mother of ten children, including triplets in the middle! All are now away, either married or at boarding school.
Rabbi Loshak's wife asked a lot of good questions about Never Tell Your Name; she wanted to know whether Soeur St Cybard, the nun who saved me during the War, had been acclaimed A Righteous Gentile at Yad Vashem in Israel? She wondered what makes a young child remember so well at such a young age. We each agreed on the damage to the culture caused by the wretched excess of materialism. I wanted to know how she survived raising such a large family. She showed pictures: beautiful daughters, and daughters in law wearing long dresses and dark-hatted sons wearing sidelocks.... chubby blond grand-babies spilled at their feet.
At the end when I offered to sign the book visible in her satchel, she looked a bit embarrassed. I realized she'd probably bought it used on Amazon as she handed me the rather limp-paged book to me. I opened it and there was the inscription
"To Terry's friend, Lupita, with all best wishes".
May, 2002
I knew exactly who that was, Terry Reyes, a beloved colleague, had bought several copies for her friends at my first book signing at fancy book store in LA six years ago!
I am still rejoicing that my little paper-back was so dog-eared showing signs of having been thoroughly read, perhaps by several people. I was delighted. It came to me all over again, that once the book is "out there" it does have a life of its own that far exceeds the numbers of sales or the glamor of book signings.
So I added a new inscription:
"And to Devorah Loshak with admiration."
My fellow scribes and pencil pushers, let us remember, writing well is the best revenge!