This image is the cover for the book When the Diamonds Were Gone

When the Diamonds Were Gone

After a grueling and dramatic escape from occupied Poland in 1939, at age eight, Julian and his mother arrive in America in 1941 with big plans. Julian's beautiful, former socialite mother Barbara wants to write a memoir and regain her former social position. Julian just wants to fit his war-damaged psyche into the American way of life. As Barbara climbs her social ladder, she succeeds in opening for herself doors that few manage to open. In the process, she slams in Julian's face the very doors that other parents struggle to open for their children.

Julian Padowicz

Julian Padowicz is an award-winning author, screenwriter, and documentary filmmaker. He is the author of The Best Sunset in Venice; Escaping the Holocaust; Loves of Yulian; Mother and Me: Escape from Warsaw 1939, which won ForeWord magazine's Book of the Year award in 2006; A Ship in the Harbor; and Writer's Block. He lives in Stamford, Connecticut.

Chicago Review Press