In New Book 'Asylum,' A Daughter Seeks To Uncover Her Parents' Pasts

Here & Now‘s Celeste Headlee speaks with Judy Bolton-Fasman about her new book, “Asylum: A Memoir of Family Secrets,” which chronicles the author’s journey to find out more about her Cuban-born mother and accountant father.

Book Excerpt: ‘Asylum’

By Judy Bolton-Fasman 

BURN THIS

There is a Jewish saying that an uninterpreted dream is like an unopened letter from God—a letter that must surely contain the secrets of the universe. 

The only letters I received that muggy summer when I stayed on the non-air-conditioned side of the 92nd Street Y were from my father, usually cheery cards (“Well, hello over there!”), or thin sheets of yellow legal pad paper with bits of curmudgeonly wisdom designed to steer my focus away from my recent heartbreak: “You’re a smart kid—you can do this! You can finish that darn thesis! Don’t let all that time and money be for naught!” 

This time was different. In my mail was an unusually thick envelope that bore the return address of my father’s Hartford office. I knew he had more on his mind than usual that