Author: Gerald Rosenbaum

ISBN 1-59800-398-4

This memoir is a family that begins in Coney Island, New York and ends up in Rancho Santa Fe -- the trip involves many.

Rosenbaum first writes about the family's background -- immigrants from many lands. They married immigrants and even changed the Russian surname to Rosenbaum. It's quite a beginning and almost reads like the Bible -- so-and-so begot so-and-so. However, if you can keep up with who married who and who gave birth to what son or daughter, you will be well prepared for the rest of the story.

There are dry goods stores, summer camps and even a floating crap game after a train ride. There were older girls, a De Soto with a stalling problem and busboy jobs are the Swan Lake Inn. Then came college in Brooklyn - with the "first two years attending required courses in English, History, French, Psychics, and the logical analysis of Mathematics."

In 1942, "Gerry met the love of his life, Ruth Spiro." "Gerry and Ruth were going pretty steady through the rest of 1942," missing "selective service" which let him graduate in June 1943. Gerry took the Introductory Psychology course -- thus was the beginning of a career for Rosenbaum.

It was off to the U.S. Army and Ft. Dix, for Gerry, on July 13, 1943, but not before a sendoff (which included a "visit to McSorley's Bar" and a big finish at "Madame Fania's"). The trip becomes military -- from boot camp to "The Rolling W" to a rude morning awakening. It seems that Gerry had been hammered and awoke to find himself in a Greensboro hotel. It was at this point that he knew he wanted a "more wholesome personal life." He called Ruth and "made an earnest proposal of marriage." Sunday, December 10, 1944 Ruth and Gerry were married. They spent the honeymoon night in a hotel on 34th Street in Manhattan, caught the train back to North Carolina the next day, where Ruth found them "a furnished room with an oil heater." It was soon back to the military life -- Europe, combat, "crossing the Rhine," onto Germany and Austria. Then, in March of 1946, Gerry was sailing home and in March of the same year, he was discharged.

"The first order of business as a civilian was joining the 52/20 Club, a federal program to provide unemployed veterans with $20 compensation for a maximum of 52 weeks of unemployment." It wasn't long before the happy couple was heading west -- Iowa City and the University of Iowa. Starting school "on the GI Bill," extra money was needed. He took "a job at the local library loading bookshelves at 40 cents/hour." From there, it was a who's who in psychology and onto graduation. Next stop, Wayne University and Detroit.

In the spring of 1950, Ruth and Gerry learn they are expecting. On February 25, 1951, Joan Carol is born and two and a half years later, Nancy Susan completes the family.

It's travel, family, and career. Gerald Rosenbaum is currently Distinguished Emeritus at San Diego State University in Psychology and Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California San Diego. Ruth edited the manuscript for this book -- and it looks like they are proud grandparents.

Pictures bring the people alive and add color to an already colorful life.

The above review was contributed by:  Sue Vogan, Writer & Author of NCO-No Compassion Observed: To read more of Sue's reviews Click Here