2026 International Book Awards Finalist

U.S. History Category

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"A powerful, thought-provoking, intensely poignant family saga, Sherry Berlin's Uprooted illuminates the complexities of maintaining Jewish identity in a sometimes hostile environment. Vividly told with warmth and honesty, this story is a must-read." -Bárbara Mujica, Bestselling Author of Frida and Miss del Río

"A heartfelt account of resilience, love of family, and a devotion to higher ideals through the crucible of assimilation.... Uprooted holds a message we'd all do well to heed." -Jordan Rosenberg, TV Writer/Producer

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In the mid-1950s, Abe Berlin, a successful New York City garment manufacturer, moves his family and factory to the segregated South to escape union pressure and mob control. He expects a fresh start. Instead, the Berlins are met with antisemitism, the Ku Klux Klan, and the rigid beliefs of a small Southern town resistant to outsiders.

Abe's sons, Irving and Leonard, World War II veterans, soon encounter another brand of bigotry in their new hometown. As Jewish Americans living under Jim Crow, the family confronts a harsh and unfamiliar reality that shapes their daily lives. When tragedy strikes, its consequences alter the fabric of the Berlin family and the wider community. In pursuit of the American Dream, Irving uproots his own family again and again, triggering profound and unexpected costs.

In the end, each member of the Berlin family must reckon with loss, resilience, and the price of belonging in a divided America-finding their own way forward in the search to put down roots.

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