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Rose Cohen. Out of the Shadow: A Russian Jewish Girlhood on the Lower East Side, with an Introduction by Thomas Dublin. (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1995). Pp. vii-313. Paper: $19.95. ISBN: 978-0-8014-8268-7.

Rose Cohen was born in Russia at the end of the 19th century and immigrated to the United States of America in the early part of the 20th century. The circumstances she encountered while transitioning from one "Old World" culture to a "New World" one primarily constitute the source material she uses in Out of the Shadow. There appears to be a great deal of difference between the daily life and cultures encountered by a young Jewish girl/woman in Russia and one in America. These differences more than likely pertain to both cultures as well as to simply daily life and expectations for it. More than likely, it was the striking differences in these aspects of life that motivated the author to compose this particular piece of literature. By providing first-hand, autobiographical information about her own life as it relates to this theme, any reader of this manuscript would expect Cohen to be fairly authoritative (if not necessarily accurate) about the details of her own life as it relates to this theme.

A thorough analysis of Out of the Shadow reveals that the principle theme this book is concerned with is marked differences in culture that one encounters in emigrating from Europe to the United States. These differences are exacerbated by the strict Jewish religion that the author grew up participating in. From that point, the theme of the book is the cultural differences not only between two countries, but also between a strict Jewish culture and the more accepting religious tolerance of mainstream America. The book is an autobiography of the life of Rose Cohen, who moved from Russia to the New York's Lower East Side at the turn of the 20th century.

The author's specific thesis regarding this theme is that there is an inherent difficulty in a woman striving to account for these differences, and that as desirable as full assimilation into the cultures of a new land may be, it is exceedingly difficult to accomplish with so many ties to those of one's former land and religion.

The author includes no other source material within this work of literature other than her own recollections. As such, the degree of confidence that this unilateral perspective on the events that take place within this book are somewhat suspect. A number of autobiographies are known for exaggerations and partisan recounting of events. Since many of the events discussed within this book pertain to the author's personal life, she appears to be a suitable authority figure for recounting them. Yet the reader is never certain of this fact since he or she cannot corroborate many of the intimacies with other sources provided in this manuscript.

Still, the author makes good use of her memories particularly as they relate to her thesis. The reader is aware of the difficulties relating to poverty and health that Jewish immigrants incurred since Cohen's life story provides a case study of sorts. The cultural clashes between the old and the new world are also easily discernible. In that respect, the author's thesis is suitably defended. In terms of the book's larger point of portraying the cultural in congruencies and the difficulties of assimilation for American immigrants, the author has a good deal of credibility. She has less so in terms of verifying specific events in her life (such as the fact that her husband and daughter are not mentioned in this narrative).