“This is the story of an American family whose roots were laid down in late nineteenth-century Russia,” writes author Philip Catsman. “It progresses from a hopeless beginning through emigration to the United States and wonderful financial, social, and familial achievements. It is the true story of how disadvantaged people living within the confines of a severely restricted society don’t have to give up but can achieve personal goals through hard work, ambition, and applied intelligence. In addition to writing down a family’s history, it is equally important, at least to me, to try to understand how a family evolves from a psychological perspective, what influences personality characteristics, and how they change over the generations.”
Published by Newman Springs Publishing, Philip Catsman’s riveting tale begins with Pesach, also known as the author’s Grandpa Phil, as he grapples with the desperate living conditions of Czarist Russia. He and his wife immigrate from what is now known as Belarus to the United States, where Pesach finds financial and social success that he could never dream of having back home in the shtetl. As the story evolves, the narrative begins to follow Sam, Pesach’s oldest son, who’s unbridled ambition led him to gain great power, but it was at the expense of his father and siblings whom he tortured with his narcissism.
More than a decade after Sam was born, author Philip Catsman’s father, Ray, comes along. Ray is torn between his two father figures: his actual father, Pesach, and his domineering oldest sibling, Sam. The contrast of these two important people in Ray’s life created challenges in his development that would echo on for the coming generation. In “Family Matters,” Catsman intriguingly paints a picture of how the powerful men in his ancestry shaped him into the man he is today.
Readers who wish to experience this captivating work can purchase “Family Matters: The Story of an American Family from the Shtetl” at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iBooks Store, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble.
For additional information or media inquiries, contact Newman Springs Publishing at 732-243-8512.
About Newman Springs Publishing:
Newman Springs Publishing is a full-service publishing house for serious authors. Each title produced by Newman Springs Publishing undergoes every step of the professional publishing process, including editing, layout, cover design, circulation, distribution, and publicity. All titles are made available in both eBook and print formats. Newman Springs Publishing distributes to tens of thousands of retail outlets throughout North America and internationally. All manuscripts in any genre are welcome to be submitted for review; If the manuscript meets the necessary criteria and is accepted for publication, Newman Springs Publishing will work closely with the author to bring the book to the retail market for a relatively inexpensive initial investment.
