Paths of Stones (HC)

Cynthia Dickstein has led a rich life of drama, world travel, and adventure, as she proves over and over again in her memoir, Paths of Stones. The story she tells begins in a shtetl in Russia, where oppression and tragedy drove her family to emigrate to the United States. Cynthia’s life brought the story full circle as she organized and led numerous professional exchange groups from America to Russia during the Cold War and beyond. She provides the historical backdrop as we follow her into places as varied as Mongolia’s Gobi Desert, the streets of Moscow and Iran. She falls in love, celebrates friendship, mourns losses, and even has a confrontation with the KGB--which she wins! The book is a tribute to the complexity of life, along with Cynthia’s open mind, heart, and desire to understand other cultures. The reader is in for a treat. -Maura Casey, Former editorial writer for the New York Times