Guest Speaker, Patricia Friedberg addresses Women of Sinai

To an audience of 120 at the Membership Luncheon,
Temple Sinai, Sarasota Florida, Guest speaker, British Author,
Patricia Friedberg, in a dramatic and heartfelt presentation, shared both the political history of England and personal history during the build up to World War II and the austerity in its aftermath.

Her talk was received with overwhelming enthusiasm by the Women of Sinai. The WOS are important members of the community whose purpose is to represent those values that make proud the Jewish heritage of social justice, caring, community, commitment to Tikkun Olam/making the world a better place.

Special Thanks to Harriet Kaufman, Maxine Goodheim, Joanne Trachtenberg and Bunny Tabatznik

Eva Monley, Hollywood's Expert on Africa, Dies at 88

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/eva-monley-hollywoods-expert-africa-263629

Production manager, Location Scout and Producer worked on such films as “The African Queen,” “Lawrence of Arabia” and “A Far Off Place.”

Eva was fellow Producer and my mentor in the art and business of filmmaking. She shared her incredible history with me, advised, chastised and even on the London streets, wore odd colored flipflops. Because of Eva, we filmed on location in Zimbabwe, and...because of Eva learned to carry on in the ever frustrating film industry which has led us now to the film project,"21 ALDGATE".

While I needed to be in London on pre-production of the film "JOURNEY FROM THE JACARANDAS", Eva tossed me the keys to her flat ( just steps away from what she dubbed "the Grocery Store" HARROD'S ) where I stayed until, from that "posh" setting,

weeks later, we were on location along the red dusty roads of Bulawayo, shooting the film amid the Balancing Rocks of the Matopas and in the site of the Great Zimbabwe Ruins.

MaryAnn Amato

"Eva taught us all we would ever need to know about the film industry. We will be forever indebted to her. Our film "Journey from the Jacarandas", will be reborn in her memory."

Patricia Friedberg

Author Meets Booker Middle School Students at the "Dragonfly Cafe"

It was my privilege yesterday to discuss ‘21 Aldgate’ with the creative writing class at Booker Middle School, Sarasota, Florida.

Ms. Joanne Fox, teaches her class in what could be easily be the setting

for Charles Dickens, ‘Old Curiosity Shop’. Odd chairs, round, square and oblong tables, sentences scrawled on walls, bright colours and well used books everywhere. Nothing fits the décor of an ordinary school room which is why imagination holds no bounds and poetry and paragraphs flow from the pens of determined young writers.

What a joy to witness students in a setting where their imagination, their creativity and their pride of being a Booker Student is obvious. Ironic that this is where George W Bush was first told of the attack of the Twin Towers. The young people I met will live their lives, not destroying, but building on the positive through their creativity.

Thank you Booker for giving me an insight to an outstanding program.

Sincerely,

Patricia Friedberg

Dear Patricia,

We so enjoyed your visit. The girls are now lining up to read 21Aldgate. One of them commented that I always tell them they are living the book they will one day write and now they can see how that is true. Surely, Pat, you did not realize at the time that it was your day to day existence that would become your book. What a gift of realization was given and received because of your visit. Your letter meant so much to my girls. (Just a clarification, President Bush was down the way at Emma E. Booker Elementary School on 9-11, but the sentiment is lovely.)

Our best to you,

Joanna Fox

1914 -1918 ... 1939 - 1945

Personal history underpins ’21 Aldgate’ - Arts Sarasota

Personal history underpins ’21 Aldgate’ - Arts Sarasota

TBS Interesting Lives Patricia Friedberg.wmv

INTERESTING LIVES Series Invites Patricia Friedberg to speak about "Growing Up in London During World War II"

TBS CAMPUS - WEDNESDAY October 19th at 12:30 PM
at the IDELSON LIBRARY in the GOLDIE FELDMAN AUDITORIUM
1050 South Tuttle Avenue
Sarasota, Florida

VIRTUAL BOOK CLUB MEETS THE AUTHOR
A "WITTY" IDEA

Framingham, Massachusetts

Book Club member Cindy Witt organized a Virtual Book Talk via SKYPE for her book group’s September, 22^nd meeting.

21 ALDGATE, the novel, was on this book club's reading list and all wanted to meet the author. Cindy spoke with Patricia Friedberg's agent, Legacies Literary and the concept of VIRTUAL BOOK TALKS / MEET THE AUTHOR was born.

The meeting which took place last evening was a huge success! Skyping interactively book club members had the chance to ask intelligent questions of the author about her motivation for writing this book. The story based on true-life characters and events sparked interest in knowing how the main characters were developed. Members expressed how they identified with and admired the strength of the main character CLARA; the class divide which existed in the 1930's-40's. They reflected and referred to favorite parts of the book, among other parts, a remarkable scene where the child saves her father’s life. They discussed the effect of war on families, on children, which spun into talk about the futility of war. Reading about this period in modern history, which needs to be remembered, brought about discussions on the courage of Londoners who made the decisive choice to "Keep Calm and Carry On". There was interest and curiosity about Paul Maze (pronounced MARS), his relationship with Sir Winston Churchill and MAZE lasting impact on CLARA'S life and the secret she must take to her grave.

Thanks, Cindy's Club....It was wonderful to meet you, We had a great time!!!
Book clubs (wherever in the English speaking world) are invited to organize their book clubs VIRTUAL BOOK TALK / MEET THE AUTHOR of 21 ALDGATE, Patricia Friedberg via SKYPE.

If interested please e-mail and send details to: legaciesliterary@gmail.com

New Posts and Book Reviews

BOOK and FILM GEL

www.golondontours.com/.../Books_%26_Film_GEL.html - click on : Cached

You +1'd this publicly. Undo

21 Aldgate / Patricia Friedberg - 2010. Some walking tours focus on the literary associations of the area .... 'Spitalfields - In Words' and 'The Jewish East End ...

On the Bookshelf - by Josh Lambert - Tablet Magazine - A New ...

www.tabletmag.com/arts-and-culture/books/.../on-the-bookshelf-67/ - Cached

You +1'd this publicly. Undo

Dec 13, 2010 – 21 Aldgate by Patricia Friedberg should be added to this list

No.69 BARBICAN LIBRARY Aug/Sept 2011

217.154.230.218/NR/rdonlyres/BAEF148B-4593.../0/WhatsNew62.pdf

You +1'd this publicly. Undo

File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View
21 Aldgate by Patricia Friedberg is set in London just prior to WW2 and is the story of the experiences of one Jewish family living in the East End during the ...

NEW YORK - 9/11
And we are here.
We remember this day ten years ago
We remember those who perished
We remember that day when fear replaced innocence.
The streets are silenced - we observe, we remember.

Fans of "21 ALDGATE"
on board the ship

21 ALDGATE meets
Queen Mary 2

Book talk in the Winter Garden Room on board the QM2

where Brits and Yanks alike

shared in this lively

and well-attended discussion,

based on the book, the period and the upcoming film.

Time to say Ta Ta for now.
Thank you to all who came to my talks.  The interest shown has at
times been overwhelming.
Though London, my home town, has had it's troubles this past week,
it is only a few undesirables intent on making  one of the greatest
cities in the world, the object of their criminality.  I have travelled
the length and breadth of my homeland - I have met with the young
who want to know how their families fared during World War Two
and conversed with those who lived through it.
I closed each of my talks with a dedication in admiration
of all law abiding Londoners whether it be during the blitz and the
aftermath of that dreadful time or now during the recent  riots. 
21 Aldgate tells of that spirit - and that spirit cannot and will not
be crushed.

Dartmouth House Talk for the ESU (English Speaking Union) reveals another side of 21 ALDGATE... the relationship between the French artist Paul Maze and Winston Churchill.

It is easy to visualize Churchill meeting Maze in one of the beautifully wood

paneled men’s club lounges (now the bar) to share in brandy, cigars and carry- on discussions about their art. The ESU at Dartmouth House served as a haven for distinquished writers and artists of the period.

Aptly housed in The Churchill Room at Dartmouth House, Patricia Friedberg spoke of Sir Winston Churchill who was Chairman of the ESU from 1921-25 and life-long member; Churchill's portrait peering over the marble staircase, a reminder of his omnipresence.

Listen to Author's London Jewish Care Interview

Author Patricia Friedberg was interviewed at Jewish Care in London. To listen to the interview, click on the player below.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Radio Interview with Author, Patricia Friedberg and former BBC presentor, Jon Kaye for the talking News & Book, K.C. Shasha Centre, London, UK

UPCOMING EVENT THURSDAY, AUGUST 4th

AN EVENING TALK

Dartmouth House, Mayfair

PATRICIA FRIEDBERG'S, 21 ALDGATE

Commences at 6:45 for wine and nibbles followed by 7:00 P.M. Talk

TICKETS £8 MEMBERS , £9 ALUMNI, £10 Guests

Books will be available for sale and a book signing will follow the talk.

Book Tour Winding Down to its UK Completion.

Many who haven't read "21 ALDGATE" here in England are now wanting to purchase the book. Hopefully it will soon be available in a softcover second edition. Many who have read the book are passing their enthusiasm on to others.

At the talks the constant question is: "When will the film be released?" and then, "Who will play Clara? and Paul Maze?" and always because the writing makes it so visual, the comment ... "21 ALDGATE will make a great film!"

Patricia has spoken to welcoming AJR groups in Ealing, Brighton and Radlett and will be speaking at the Community Centre in Clevedon Road in West Hampstead on Tuesday, July 26th at 10:30 a.m.

The author was an invited speaker at RISHON in Edgeware to an audience fascinated by the story in which one of the characters is an MS victim. RISHON is a charitable organization dedicated to the interest of sufferers of MS.

Patricia has also addressed Ladies Societies in Cockfosters and N. Southgate and "Book Lovers" in Yorkshire organized by Mick and Ann Blunt.

Jon Kaye, formerly BBC presenter and Head of Talking News & Books will be interviewing the author on radio on August 1st. Watch for the Podcast posting.

Audio version recorded by Rita Rosenbaum is available at KC Shasha Centre for Talking News & Books. Tel: 0208 922 2332
21 ALDGATE is also available on www.amazon.co.uk. www.amazon.com, kindle, Nook, ipad, e-book, Barnes & Noble, WHSmith.co.uk,

Upcoming AUGUST 4th event at Dartmouth House, Charles Street, Mayfair, London.
Be sure to send in your registration form ASAP. (see previous posting - July)

Visit www.jeecs.org.uk / Linked to "21 Aldgate"

CD audio of  21 Aldgate

Read by Rita Rosenbaum and released by the K. C Shasha Centre for Talking News & Books at
Jewish Care,  at Amelie House - London UK

JULY TALKS and EVENTS in the U.K.

Southern Regional Outreach of the AJR

· EALING, TUESDAY, July 5th - 2:00PM 15 Grange Rd., Ealing, London, W5 5QN

· BRIGHTON, MONDAY, July 18th - 12:30 PM Ralli Hall Community Center, Denmark Villas at Hove, East Sussex, BN3 3TH

· RADLETT, WEDNESDAY, July 20th - 10:30 AM, 118 Watling Rd., Radlett, Herts WD7 7AA

Community Groups and Organizations:

· COCKFOSTERS & N. SOUTHGATE, THURSDAY, July 14^th – 8:30 PM, Old Farm Rd., Southgate, London N14 5 QR

· EAST END , JEECS, Interview “The Cable” Fall Issue – 11:00 am

· RISCHON, SUNDAY, July 17^th – 3:00PM, 118 Edgeware Rd, Edgeware, London

· WEST HAMPSTEAD, TUESDAY, July 26^th – 10:30 AM, Cleve Rd., NW6, 3RL

QUEEN MARY 2 Scheduled Talk onboard the TransAtlantic crossing in September

Check Out 21 Aldgate on Facebook

We're now on Facebook! Please check out our page and share it with your friends. And don't forget to check back often for updates and upcoming events. Thanks!

Jewish Community Center - Longmeadow - Massachussetts
21 Aldgate talk well received.  One listener stood up at the
end of the talk - "If women ruled the world. there 
would be no wars" after seeing side by side photos of Clara's
brother in Mesopotamia and her great grandson Max in
Iraq close to one hundred years later.

In Flanders Fields by John McCrae (May 1915)

A ONCE A YEAR POPPY IS NOT ENOUGH
To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918 (2011).
by Adam Hochschild
 
For all '21 Aldgate' readers   

Review: Summer 5771 / 2011

Jewish Book World...

"The vicissitudes of World War II

are splendidly delineated in

this intriguing novel."

Spanning post-World War I through World
War II British history, 21 Aldgate follows
the Simon family through tenuous times that
forever forged and separated families. The story
begins when Clara Simon can no longer tolerate
her boss’s virulent anti-Semitism. She quits
her job and by chance winds up a week later
employed by the famous artist Paul Maze,
friend to Winston Churchill and other European
diplomats. Clara’s life irrevocably changes
as she begins to help Paul Maze write his painful
World War I memoir. Now Hitler’s ascendancy
threatens world peace anew, but Britain’s elite
think he’s a joke and don’t believe the rumors
spreading about concentration camps and the
disappearance of Jews, including Clara’s Aunt.
Paul and Clara travel to France to help
remember parts of Paul’s experiences as a field
artist for England and France and later to Germany
on a secret mission where Clara seeks to find her
Aunt. Both Clara and Paul experience firsthand
the fear felt by German Jews and protestors
at the hands of the secret police and Hitler’s
new soldiers. Paul and Clara then fall in love, a
relationship doomed to fail via their different
worlds. It is Clara who finally settles into a
deeper appreciation of what it means to be a
Jewish wife, mother, and citizen, a role that
strengthens her and her family through
the difficult days of bombing that lie ahead for
England. The fascination of this novel lies not
only in Clara’s ups and downs throughout this
process but the reactions and responses of her
family, representing the varied points of view
and adjustment or lack thereof amid England’s
besieged Jewish and secular community. The
vicissitudes of World War II are splendidly
delineated in this intriguing novel. DS
www.jewishbookcouncil.org

This Is England - Patriotic Song

June Tabor - Music of World War I

REview: 21 Aldgate (Hardcover)

posted on Amazon.com

I love books that I can FEEL. Patricia Friedberg, after recalling family memories, doing extensive research, and fictionalizing, allowed me to feel the strength and love of the family as they shared their worries and fears as well as laughter at the nightly dinner gathering. She allowed me to feel the emotions Clara experienced as she made her difficult choices. She allowed me to feel the anxiety of Londoners, their confusion, debates,protests and ultimate acceptance of war. Her characters are vivid and I wish I had known them all. I anticipated each new chapter, wondering who would take me where; to the front window at 21 where Nelly sat and observed the activities on High Street each evening? To artist Paul Maze's beautiful homes far from the East End? To his bed? To Munich where the intrigue and action were suspenseful? This novel is a learning experience as well. Of particular note is the extent of anti-semitism and the well described development of Winston Churchill's rise to power. The communal spirit that held together the family and Londoners alike was evident and enviable as we read Friedberg's description of utter destruction and devastation. We smile though as we watch spirit, determination and love survive. What a fabulous film this will make...I want front row!

Tickets Available for Author's Talk at English-Speaking Union

Click here to download a ticket order form for Patricia Friedberg's 4 August 2011 appearance at the English-Speaking Union in London.

US / Book talks scheduled for JUNE 2011

• SPRINGFIELD, MA - THURSDAY, June 16th, 10:30 AM JCC, 1160 Dickenson, Springfield, Massachusetts, 01108

• East Long Meadow Book Club. (Date and location hto be arranged)

UK / Book Talks: JULY and AUGUST 2011:

• JEECS - Jewish East End Commemorative Society Interview with Editor of the periodical "THE CABLE". London. Feature article about "21 Aldgate" to appear in the Fall issue of"THE CABLE".

JULY Talks in the UK for the Southern Regional Outreach of the ASSOCIATION OF REFUGEES:

• EALING, TUESDAY, July 5th - 2:00PM 15 Grange Rd., Ealing, London, W5 5QN

• BRIGHTON, MONDAY, July 18th - 12:30 PM Ralli Hall Community Center, Denmark Villas at Hove, East Sussex, BN3 3TH

• RADLETT , WEDNESDAY, July 20th - 10:30 AM, 118 Watling Rd., Radlett, Herts WD7 7AA

Community Groups and Organizations:

• COCKFOSTERS, WEDNESDAY, JULY 13th Old Farm Ave.,Southgate, London N14 5 QR

• RISCHON ORGANIZATION, SUNDAY, July 17th - 3:00PM Edgeware, London

• ENGLISH SPEAKING UNION, (ESU) THURSDAY, August 4th - 6:30 PM, Dartmouth House, 37 Charles Street, Mayfair, London W1J 5ED

If you find yourself in London on any of these dates. Please come!!!

Read all about it..........Read all about it...

We're close to selling out the first edition of 21 Aldgate.

Working on a paper back edition.  Off to London in a few weeks - more talks - 

The White Cliffs Of Dover - Vera Lynn

Reviews

Executive Director, Kathie Bernstein, Milwaukee Jewish Museum

“We were delighted to host Patricia Friedberg for a book talk at our Museum. I had read the book and thought it was wonderful. However, the book became even more meaningful during Ms. Friedberg’s power point presentation of family photos, street scenes and other materials. We heartily recommend the book and Ms. Friedberg. It was a terrific program!”

A feature film titled “21 ALDGATE” based on the novel is in development by Progress Pictures, Ltd. in the UK.

21 ALDGATE, by Patricia Friedberg, Rainbow Books, Inc, Florida, USA. 2010

Available in the US on www.amazon.com, Kindle, Nook and e-books, Barnes and Noble, Davis-Kidd Bookseller, Memphis, Tennessee, Bookstore1, Sarasota, Florida

Available in the UK on www,amazon.co.uk, Kindle, Nook and e-books.

“Patricia Friedberg’s 21 Aldgate has been a very popular pick with our area book clubs. Combining all the best elements of historical fiction with an illicit affair make it the must-read novel of early 2011.”

Ashley Dacus, Manager, DAVIS-KIDD BOOKSELLERS, Memphis, TN.

“In 21 Aldgate Patricia Friedberg –a wonderfully compelling writer—brings the reader into a pre-war and WWII London that had been unknown to many of us Americans, certainly to me. She gives a clear picture of the hardships German bombings brought to London’s citizens while telling the story of a strong young woman and her resilient family. We follow the main character, Clara, through her love affair with a famous artist and through her adventures as a spy during the war. But the hero(s) of the book are the British people and the bravery with which they faced the threat of an enemy near at hand. This one is well worth reading.”

Georgia Court

Bookstore1Sarasota

A well received talk at a remarkable museum.
One People, Many Paths - A History of Jewish Milwaukee.
I am proud to say I, for a short time, was one of them.

Praise for 21 Aldgate

Churchill biographer The RT HON. Sir Martin Gilbert, C.B.E., D. LITT
“I read it with the greatest interest…a fascinating and absorbing look into the past.”

London Jewish Chronicle. Candice Kreiger, journalist for the London Jewish Chronicle

"Anyone with a tie to London's East End is likely to enjoy Patricia Friedberg's latest novel."

"Author, Author" Editor Rosemary Nelms of The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Tenn.

"Patricia Friedberg's '21 Aldgate' is a book for the movie-goers who sat in Memphis theaters recently and applauded at the end of 'The King's Speech.' "

The Four Seasons Hotel - Chicago

Talk for The American College of Pathologists.

Paul Maze ( 1887 - 1979 )

One of the great artists of his generation, he was often called the last of the impressionists. He was born into an artistic circle in Le Havre in 1887 where family friends included Renior, Monet, Dufy and Pissaro, from whom the young Maze learned the rudiments of painting. His father, a tea merchant, sent him to school in Southampton and there he started his love affair with things English. It was when he saw the Scots Greys at Le Havre in 1914 that he signed up straight away as an interpreter but his pencil and paper was never far from his bayonet. This lead to him meeting with the young Winston Churchill, and the establishment of a life long friendship during which he was to be Winston's artistic mentor. Winston wrote of him from Chartwell shortly, before the second war, "He is an artist of distinction whose keen eye and nimble pencil record impression with the revealing fidelity". As a British private said, "Your pictures are done in shorthand". It was this immediacy which gave him the facility to record the events of his life, wherever and whatever they were. Whilst in Paris he became firm friends with both Segonzac and Vuillard. It was a meeting with Vuillard in 1932 which was pivotal in his development as a painter. He suggested the use of pastels would record the freshness so evident in his work. He took Maze to his own pastel merchant, Dr Roche, who had found a new formula for chalks and had achieved a colour selection of 1,600 shades. Maze later described this visit as being 'taken by God to meet God'.

Sarasota Book Blog: Reading 21 Aldgate

Sarasota Book Blog: Reading 21 Aldgate: "I want to recommend a book to you. It's 21 Aldgate by British author Patricia Friedberg. I believe it's her first novel. Most of the action ..."

Winston Churchill "finest hour" (best version)

March Book Talks and Events

Tuesday, March 1st – 7:15 PM

KOBERNICK HOUSE

1951 N. Honore Ave.

Sarasota, FL 34235-9130

(941) 377-0781

Saturday March 12^th , 10:00 AM

FOUR SEASONS Hotel, Chicago, Il

College of American Pathologists

Monday, March 14^th 1:00 PM

MILWAUKEE JEWISH MUSEUM

1380 N. Prospect Ave,

Milwaukee, WI

Tuesday, March 15^th, 7:00 PM

Goodman Community Center
149 Waubesa St.
Madison, WI 53704
(608) 241-1574 ext 225
www.goodmancenter.org

Winston Churchill's Poetic Speeches of World War II

Winston Churchill's Poetic Speeches of World War II

Memphis book talks

Thank you Memphis for your southern hospitality, for your overwhelming acceptance of my novel and for giving me the chance to spread the word that war is not the answer to political disagreements.  The characters in 21 Aldgate have lived through two world wars.  They have done so with humour with dignity and with the resolve to never let it happen again.  Yet, wars continue, and try as we may, we do not appear to be able to stop them. 21 Aldgate is written in their memory, and as tribute to the soldiers who fought and died on the battlefields of the Somme and for the civilians who perished in London from bombs indiscriminately falling out of the skies. 

Patricia Friedberg

The Cable Street Riot of 1936

For background on the riot, click here.

Patricia Friedberg at Davis-Kidd with '21 Aldgate'

By Peggy Burch on February 4, 2011 7:28 PM Share:

By Rosemary Nelms, nelms@commercialappeal.com

Patricia Friedberg's "21 Aldgate" is a book for the movie-goers who sat in Memphis theaters recently and applauded at the end of "The King's Speech." (I know from my own experience and from friends that there are many of you.)

In writing "21 Aldgate" (Rainbow Books, $27.95),  Friedberg has drawn on her own and her family's experiences in London in the period leading up to and during World War II. The climax of "The King's Speech" is Britain's declaration of war on Germany on Sept. 3, 1939, and that event occurs about three quarters of the way through Friedberg's novel. Like the movie, the book features Winston Churchill in an important subsidiary role.

Interview with Rabbi Barbara Aiello

Listen to radio podcast:
Rabbi@RabbiBarbara.com

2011 Book Talks

FEBRUARY APPEARANCES IN MEMPHIS: On Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. join the author at the Harbour Book Club. On Feb. 4 watch WREG-TV's "Live at 9" morning program for an interview with the author. On Feb. 5 at 1 p.m. there will be a book signing at Davis-Kidd Booksellers, 387 Perkins Ext. in Memphis. On Feb. 7 at 12:30 p.m. the author will be at the Germantown Library, 1925 Exeter Road, Germantown, Tenn., and at 7:15 p.m. she'll be at Trevanzent Manor. On Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. meet the author at Temple Israel. On Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. the author will speak to the Germantown Book Club. And on Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. she'll speak at the Allenby Lakes Book Club.

Eva Cassidy - Somewhere Over the Rainbow

London Pride by Noel Coward