Counting Heads

The best of Gordon's published work! Here are 75 personal essays, humor pieces, stories and articles about marriage, parenting, genealogy, the Holocaust, seasonal & national holidays, first published in major magazines and newspapersand now in one great collection.

"Inspired by treasured family memories and musings, Susan's work strikes a chord of connections in the hearts of her many readers." Anne Garry, former Managing Editor of Victoria.

Altogether, this collection is the story of a family in the late 20th century. Topics range from serious ones such as stepfathers (maligned, too often, and not cheered enough), unending anti-Semitism, and remembering (and giving thanks for) the restorative value of ordinary days... to humorous ones including those about car pooling, packing the summer-camp trunk, and scraping wax off a Chanukah menorah.

"Childhood is as fleeting as falling leaves," says Gordon, "and home is where we can find our way in the dark. There are no secrets in families - just things no one wants to talk about. The past is always present, I believe, whether or not we are conscious of it."

Motivated by the breakdown of family ties due to divorces, separations, immigrations and World War II, Gordon writes about finding an elderly second cousin and listening to her stories about war-time life and death in Budapest, Hungary.

"Gordon's research on the historical context of relatives' lives, and her explorations of family secrets and myths are models for the genealogical community." Renee Steinig, genealogist.

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