Rhona Friedman

Daughter of the Blue Sapphire Rhona Friedman

Publisher Marketing: Daughter of the Blue Sapphire is a heartfelt memoir of my father's life. It describes his early years as a son of immigrant Jews who settle in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn. It chronicles his middle years where he meets my mother and raises his family in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. I relay what life was like as a Brooklyn kid and how I admired my father from a very early age. The Golden Years focuses on my parents' retirement and snowbirding to Florida and the migration of a generation. The Not So Golden "Golden Years" addresses my father's battle with Parkinson's disease. It demonstrates my father's fierce determination to enjoy the gift of life and make the best of it, in spite of overwhelming obstacles. The important threads of his earlier life are woven through to the end. These include his devotion to family and religion, his drive to keep informed, his good humor, positive outlook, posture of never complaining and his love of music. It addresses a grandfather who basked in his grandchildren's achievements and wanted to live to see his grandson play for the NY Yankees. The book is a tribute to a very special, sweet, patient, courageous, accepting and intelligent man. It is a deeply moving story of a daughter's love for her father and the values and life lessons he instilled in her.