The Apple and the Shady Tree

Lisa Novick Goldberg recalls her Jewish family’s deteriorating relationships and her own resilience in her memoir, The Apple and the Shady Tree: The Mafia, My Family and Me, a true story about a father-daughter relationship in the shadow of the Mob. Using riveting chronological vignettes from her own life, Goldberg takes readers into 1960s Brooklyn and Long Island, New York City’s garment center, as well as the glamour and glitz of the music industry pre-MTV, old Las Vegas and Atlantic City—but with the bright lights dimmed by the depression and anxiety she suffered due to her tumultuous life at home. She had a difficult relationship with her parents that was further exacerbated by her father’s involvement with organized crime.

“Writing opened up a floodgate of emotions for me,” Goldberg recalls. “I had terrifying dreams about the FBI’s investigation into my father’s role in the Genovese crime family, which was an extremely traumatic time in my life.”
Despite her upbringing and its absence of religion, Goldberg embraced Judaism and eventually overcame her demons. Her story is a testament to the importance of healing. “We cannot escape our past, despite our best efforts,” Goldberg says. “I believe that our past doesn’t define us, but it does explain us. I knew that my best shot at dealing with the anxiety and anger that held me back was to explore its origin—the dark, scary place where these emotions took root.”

The Apple and the Shady Tree is ultimately not just about Goldberg’s family tree and its dark roots. It’s about how she branched out, grew to escape the darkness and ultimately found the sun.
 

Author is available for interviews, blog tours, autographed tours, autographed book giveaways, contests, and book club discussions.