Richard Rothman’s Finding Ruby: The Bright and Dark Sides of a Family’s Fervent Idealism is a memoir that has been deeply researched and brings readers into Rubin Schechter’s life. Rubin is Richard Rothman’s grandfather who fought and died for his ideals in the Spanish Civil War. The narrative blends family history and historical context while exploring fervent idealism and its sacrifices, ambitions, and consequences. Told through anecdotes, Rothman investigates Ruby’s motivations, from his radical activism to his unwavering belief in fighting against fascism. This gives readers a look inside the portrait of a man who was driven by principles but also burdened by the choices that those principles required. Readers take a deep dive into a story that is not just about Ruby, but also about the family he left behind, their struggles, and Richard Rothman’s journey as he tries to understand their legacies.

There is so much to admire about Finding Ruby, especially for fans of historical biographies and family memoirs. Filled with historical details about the Spanish Civil War and the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, the narrative brings readers into the experiences that accompany the history; reflections, generational trauma, and idealism. Richard Rothman’s portrayal of Ruby’s life, as well as the complexities of his family dynamics, allows readers to relate to the underlying themes like sacrifice, legacy, and identity. The character development, particularly of Ruby and his contemporaries, is very fascinating. Additionally, the personal and political struggles offer universal appeal, especially for readers interested in history, activism, and the long-lasting impacts of personal choices.

Finding Ruby: The Bright and Dark Sides of a Family’s Fervent Idealism by Richard Rothman is a fascinating biography of the author’s grandfather, Rubin (Ruby) Schecter, who left the United States to fight for the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War. Ruby was wounded in the war and died in Spain of his wounds, leaving the author’s grandmother and then five-year-old mother alone to survive in post-Depression America. His grandmother remarried, to the man whom the author then believed to be Ruby’s best friend and fellow member of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade in Spain. The author’s interest in Ruby’s history was awakened by a letter handed to him by his cousin. His research uncovered a treasure trove of information about so much more than Grandad Ruby’s Civil War exploits; from long-accepted family lore that proved to be false to the inner workings of the American Communist Party to his grandparents' blind obedience to the dictates of a ruthless killer in Josef Stalin. This book opens a Pandora’s box of family secrets and the darker intents of an idealistic family in the twentieth century. 

Finding Ruby is a riveting and compelling story. What started as a simple desire by author Richard Rothman to understand why a man left his wife and child to fight a war on foreign soil for a people he had no connection to soon turned into a full family investigation. I was intrigued by the powerful persuasion of the communist doctrine in Depression-era America. It was easy to understand how so many idealistic Americans could see the poverty and suffering of the time and cast envious glances across the ocean to what appeared to be the highly successful communist revolution in Russia. Unaware of the murder and mayhem perpetrated by their hero Stalin, all they saw was a perfect worker’s paradise. Is it any wonder, then, that they envisioned a similar utopia for the downtrodden poor of America? I appreciated the author’s self-awareness as he berated himself for failing to ask some simple but critical questions of his relatives while they were still alive, which may well have furnished answers to the conundrums he faced while writing this book. What makes this such a powerful exposition of a unique period of social history in America is that it is so personal to the author. This was his family he was researching, his family’s secrets and dark past he was unraveling, and much of what he discovered completely changed his and others' perception of his family’s role in communism in America and the problems that can occur when idealism can promote both heroism and deceit. The corollaries between the rise of fascism in the 1930s and the upsurge in populist strongmen autocrats in today’s political climate are certainly not lost. This is a compelling read that I highly recommend.