I turned this old photo of my great-grandfather into a lollipop.
I had this photo in mind, taken at Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park, London, when I wrote the character of Abraham.
While Abraham’s personality is fictional, one true thing did make it directly into the book. He used to tell his daughters, “Head up, shoulders back.” Grandma passed it on to us, and it’s what I repeat to myself when I need to stand tall.
I think of this photo and how he spoke up for the release of Soviet Jews and I try to do the same, in a world that tries to keep our voices down.
