The Literary Detective
Being a six time award-winning author, a columnist for the New York Times, and a renowned professor at Colombia University, Samuel Freedman is a man who certainly has some outstanding achievements. But after his mother’s death, a feeling of disgrace overtook him. Feeling ashamed that he knew nothing of his mother’s life, Freedman sought to absolve himself through literature. “Who She Was,” by Samuel Freedman, was a detailed and emotive recreation of his mother’s early life. It meticulously covered every aspect of her life until the day she passed away. The book was impressive but the process that Freedman used to gather the information was remarkable. His research and investigative skills proved to be of the highest caliber and, as a result, he accurately recreated the life of the woman he never knew.
“Who She Was” is a book about Eleanor Hatkin, a Jewish girl who lived in the Bronx. Her parents were Jews from Bialystok and moved to America in the late 1920s. Eleanor grew up in the 1930s and had to deal with the many hardships of life. Some of her difficulties included the Great Depression, the hate towards her mother, and her flirtatious attitude. She did poorly in college because she had to work for the family and she couldn’t marry the love of her life, Charlie Greco, because her mother wouldn’t allow it. These events left scars that she had to live with until her death.
Although the book was lengthy, it was a pleasure to read. Freedman was able to recreate the entire world that his mother lived in. He included her family, friends, world events, and American culture. His level of detail went so deep that he was able to describe her daily activities. Her whole world is seen through a bird’s eye view. Although detail is interesting, Freedman was almost too thorough by talking about his mother’s sex life. As disgusting as it may seem, this information was necessary because it was an essential part of her personality and life. Just the thought of the amount of research that he had to gather in order to write such a comprehensive book is mind-boggling.
Freedman’s research began with primary sources. He went on a journey to interview people that were still alive. He used Internet databases to find the people and their locations. He was able to interview Fannie, Seymour, Hy Keltz, and other friends that were familiar with his mother. During the interview process he tried to make the people be as specific as possible. He sometimes used an object, photo, or music to help them remember their younger years. In some of the interviews, especially with Hy Keltz, Freedman was able to evoke a sense of love and nostalgia in the room that resonated in the book.
The next level of research was secondary sources such as accessible documents. He used the Social Security Administration to retrieve records about his mother, grandparents, and anyone else he needed. He was able to see recorded data such as the family’s annual income and his grandfather’s work history. This helped Freedman see a larger picture of the economy and poor conditions in which the family had to live in during that time period. He also used the New York State Department of Education to look into archives about his mother’s academic record. It is here that he saw her outstanding high school records and, much to his surprise, saw his mother’s failing grades in college.
Freedman also used indirect sources to complete his research. He gathered newspapers and magazines to help him see American culture in her Eleanor’s time. He collected letters from his mother’s friends to see if there was any information regarding her life. He also collected hundreds of photographs and noticed patterns, similar locations, and events. This provided him with a timeline of her life and helped clarify his other sources.
Freedman collected all the different sources and put them together in order to form the most specific story possible. There are several basic principles of writing that Freedman follows. He believes in the idea of freedom within structure. Before writing, Freedman makes outlines and puts all his information in chronological order. Once he creates the basic structure, he is free to craft each sentence. Since he was working on the book while teaching, did not have much time to write. This did not pose as a problem because he felt that a book should be gradually written over time. He spent about an hour and a half each day and it took Freedman seven months to complete the book.
In the process of writing the book, Samuel Freedman encountered many personal feelings. He believes that there is a false divide between emotion and craft. When writing the book, he encompassed both of these qualities in order to achieve a greater product. The more craft he used, the more his emotions were stimulated. The research process stimulated emotional process because he was able to see a complete look over his mother’s life as a girl, teenager, and young women. He grasped her experiences and, for once, truly felt as if he knew his mother.
Samuel Freedman has raised the standard for research and investigation. His book, “Who She Was,” was a strikingly detailed reconstruction of his mother’s early life. Freedman wrote this book because of penance and hoped that he could see himself as Eleanor’s son once again. Besides the invasion of privacy and the sexual content of the book, I think that his mother would have been proud. Many people do not realize the difficulty in gathering enough information to write such a book. Out of the 1,000 letters that Freedman sent, only three people remembered Eleanor Hatkin. He had to seek out living sources, gather different types of documents, and collect hundreds of photographs. By combining these resources, Freedman successfully revived his mother’s reality. By fusing emotion with craft, Samuel Freedman created a book that pleases both casual readers and meticulous journalists.