SAFE HARBORS

The rebellion of late adolescence is complicated by the memory of war years: a sequel to the critically acclaimed Touch Wood (1988). Roth-Hano picks up her autobiographical story (told, again, as diary entries) when she sails to America at 19. She shares her bewilderment at American culture and language; she has never seen so many Jews gathered in one place as she observes in the reformed synagogue, nor witnessed Jews flaunting their religion as they do on America's streets and on TV. Meanwhile, flashbacks depict childhood moments back in France, and there are glimpses of the future (the loss of her father, the bittersweet joy of first love), while RenÇe's resentment toward her mother—an anger eventually assuaged by the growing understanding of maturity—colors every line. A book that offers keen insights into postwar America as seen through the eyes of an emotionally burdened foreigner. (Fiction. 12+)