The Wanderers: Pale of Settlement to Texas
An American Journeys Novel #5
Author: Richard Alan Schwartz
Forced out into the world, can a young Jew survive the jump from closed-society Russia to the freewheeling United States?
Eastern Europe, 1864. Rachel Katzenbogen hungers for more than insular tradition. With her keen mind and outspoken attitude, the sixteen-year-old is fascinated by knowledge forbidden by her strict upbringing. But after saving a child from a fire and being badly scarred, she accepts her duty to leave her home and find work in America.
Aghast when her parents arrange her marriage to the village dolt, Rachel travels with her unwanted suitor to a Texan ranch in hopes of earning money to relocate her family. But speaking very little English and unprepared for the culture shock, she flounders as her foundation is chiseled away brick by brick.
Can Rachel learn to adapt without losing her identity?
Told with deft mastery, this in-depth exploration of a courageous woman’s journey merges history, religion, and the nature of self into an unforgettable narrative. Sweeping in scope and rich in personal empathy, you’ll transcend time and place as you embrace the richness of the human experience.
The Wanderers: Pale of Settlement to Texas is the deeply emotional fifth book in the American Journeys women’s historical fiction series. If you like resilient heroines, individual growth, and triumph over adversity, then you’ll adore Richard Alan Schwartz’s tale of hope.