To Save a Life

In 1909, Malka Kaminsky steals her dowry to flee Russia and an arranged marriage, arriving in New York hungry for freedom. Drawn into the hustle of the Golden Land, Malka joins a sweatshop strike and is nearly beaten by thugs, but a stranger and fellow Russian Jew, Yaakov Rogovin, rescues her. Malka doesn't thank him, refusing to acknowledge her debt, but when chance brings Yaakov to her Sabbath table, they laugh and trade warm glances-- only to deny their mutual attraction. After all, they carry deep scars from Russia, where admitting to desires always led to heartache. But as they strive to become entrepreneurs-- Yaakov as a musician, Malka as a dressmaker-- they hope that independence will show them how to live unafraid, despite the past. And they will need that lesson soon, because when Malka's fiancé arrives, determined to reclaim her, she seeks Yaakov's help, neither of them aware what fighting for their dreams will cost.

Author: Larry Zuckerman
Publisher: Cennan
Published: 10/21/2025
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.87lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.62d
ISBN13: 9781947976566
ISBN10: 1947976567
BISAC Categories:
- Fiction | Jewish
- Fiction | Romance | Historical | 20th Century
- Fiction | Immigration & Emigration

About the Author
Larry Zuckerman's grandparents spoke Yiddish around him whenever they wished to protect their privacy-- and their impassioned, expressive tone made him want to know what he was missing. In paying homage to their generation and mother tongue, To Save a Life expresses his love for other times and places. His previous novel, Lonely Are the Brave (Cennan Books, 2023), portrays a World War I hero turned at-home father in a Washington State logging town. Larry's nonfiction includes The Potato: How the Humble Spud Rescued the Western World, which was excerpted in the New York Times and won an award in the United Kingdom, and The Rape of Belgium: The Untold Story of World War I, which reflects his fascination with that tragic era. He has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition with René e Montagne and delivered a keynote address at the 2009 World Potato Congress in Christchurch, New Zealand. He lives in Seattle.