Author Profile: Mickey Goodman on her new book

     Local writer Mickey Goodman, alongside Eva Friedlander, co-wrote  Nine Lives of a Marriage, a Curious Journey. She obligingly agreed to take part in our Q&A  just two days before the book's launch on Sunday at the William Breman History and Holocaust Museum in Atlanta.

 

When is the book's official release? The book will be officially released on Sunday, August 29 at the William Breman History and Holocaust Museum. It is for sale on our website: www.ninelivesofamarriage.com.

 How did you meet Eva? We met when I was on assignment with the Atlanta Jewish Times to interview her husband, George – a prominent Atlanta chemist and owner of Custom Chemicals – as he lay dying in a nursing home. On the day I visited, he was very weak and the interview was difficult so I asked Eva to fill in the gaps. We made an immediate connection. After the article appeared, she called to thank me. As a journalist you know that we rarely hear “well done” from our subjects, but always hear the complaints. I was eternally grateful!

 What made you and Eva team up for this story of her life? About a year after George’s death, Eva called to ask if I would help her write her memoir describing their harrowing time in Hungary during the Holocaust and her husband’s 45-year affair. Once she told me the details, I felt her story of survival needed to be told.

 How long did it take to write this book? It took us about 2.5 years, largely because Eva has severe macular degeneration and couldn’t easily read what I had written. Either I read it aloud to her, or she relied on others who typed in the corrections and additions and emailed them back to me.

 What were writing sessions like? Did Eva dictate and you write; did she make notes that you compiled? Through trial and error, we decided that the best method was for her to come to my home office and tell her story. As she talked, I typed, asked questions and jogged her memory for the details. She has remarkable recall of names, places and events – even conversations.

How old is Eva now and when (without giving away the end) the last chapter of the book took place? Eva is a remarkably active and bright 89-year old who lives alone, works out in her condo gym, swims, etc. George was in his mid-eighties when he died in November of 2004.

 Is this your first book? Although I’ve been a journalist for many years and contributed to an anthology on grief, this is my first full-length book.

What was one of the most memorable moments you had with Eva during the creation of this book? There were so many! As you know, memory is selective, particularly for those who have had traumatic experiences like the Holocaust. Many never talk about those terrible times and their stories are lost forever. She was determined that her children and grandchildren should never forget how fortunate they are to live in a free country. She has also recorded her experiences for Steven Spielberg’s Shoah Visual Heritage Foundation and the William Breman Heritage and Holocaust Museum. Other surprising revelations emerged when she talked about the details of their tumultuous marriage and her frank admissions about her own foibles. I greatly admire her courage to tell this story.

 

Goodman and Friedlander will be talking about the book and the journey of creating it, Sunday, at the Breman Jewish Heritage Museum in Atlanta at 2 p.m.

To buy the book, check out www.ninelivesofamarriage.com