The Book Nook: The Boston Girl

When Addie Baum’s granddaughter asks to hear stories of her life, she realizes that she now has to face the decisions she made that made her into the woman she is today and how much the world has changed around her. 

Boston Girl by Anita Diamant follows Addie Baum who was born and bred in Boston during the early 1900’s to immigrant Jewish parents who lived an extremely modest life. Both of her parents were extremely suspicious of Americans and American lifestyle, preferring more to live life the way they did in the old country. But Addie’s thirst for knowledge and curiosity led her down a more modern path, one that would shape her life to be the way it is. 

Addie’s mother believed the only path for a woman was one of being a wife and mother. But Addie wanted to finish high school, go to college, have a career, and find true love. She didn’t want to be just another housewife. And so she wasn’t.

Told against the backdrop of World War I in the midst of change in the country, the novel follows how Addie’s life changes as the roles of women change. Written in easy to read language with a compelling story line, this is a coming of age story for any woman in the midst of change in her life, regardless of age. Addie Baum shows with a little bit of gumption and ambition, a girl can get whatever she wants. 

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