Meryl Ain
Meryl Ain's debut novel, The Takeaway Men, won a Gold Medal for Historical Fiction in The American Fiction Awards just two weeks after it was published. The book is the result of her life-long quest to learn more about the Holocaust, a thirst that was first triggered by reading The Diary of Anne Frank in the sixth grade.
Meryl's articles and essays have appeared in Huffington Post, Kveller, The New York Jewish Week, The New York Times, Newsday and other publications. In 2014, she co-authored the award-winning book, The Living Memories Project: Legacies That Last, and in 2016, wrote a companion workbook, My Living Memories Project Journal. She is a sought-after speaker and has been interviewed on television, radio, and podcasts. She is a career educator and is proud to be both a teacher and student of history. She has also worked as a school administrator.
Meryl holds a BA from Queens College, an MA from Teachers College, Columbia University, and an Ed.D. from Hofstra University. She lives in New York with her husband, Stewart, an award-winning journalist.
Twitter: @DrMerylAin
Instagram: @meryl_ain
Is your go to comfort food sweet or savory? Is it something you make yourself? Does food inspire your writing?
Hands-down, my favorite comfort food is ice cream. I'm not an ice cream snob and I'm not that fussy about the brand. I don't make it myself. I just like the creamy texture, and nonfat frozen yogurt or dairy free coconut or almond also work well for me. The fewer calories the better! Food absolutely inspires my writing; in fact, I was once a food writer. Readers have told me that some of the scenes in my new novel, The Takeaway Men, have made their mouths water. That may be because I love food. There are descriptions of Shabbat dinners with chickens roasting and matzoh ball soup bubbling. There are scenes in a bakery with descriptions of cakes, pies, cookies, bread and challah. There's even a chapter where two of the characters make gefilte fish!
Are there particular films that have influenced your writing?
Absolutely. As part of my extensive research for my novel, I watched and re-watched every film I could find about World War II and the Holocaust. I've been touched by Schindler’s List and Defiance and countless other movies, including many documentaries. I was greatly influenced by the film, Bogdan's Journey by Michal Jaskulski and Lawrence Loewinger. It is a documentary about the little known Kielce Pogrom, which took place on July 4, 1946 -- more than a year after the war ended in Europe. The filmmakers went to the scene of the Pogrom and interviewed people currently living in Kielce, Poland about their feelings about this horrific, unspeakable event. During the pogrom, police, soldiers, and ordinary citizens attacked Jewish Holocaust survivors with stones, clubs and pipes. Forty-two Jews were killed and 40 others were injured by the angry mob. After I saw the film, I began to research the Kielce Pogrom in earnest and decided that this sad and shameful event had to play a part in my book.
Is there another profession you would like to try?
That's an interesting question because I already had a few careers before I wrote my first novel. I spent my professional career in education. I was a high school social studies teacher and later a school administrator. Prior to tackling my novel, I wrote mostly non-fiction professionally, including news stories, interviews, essays, opinion pieces and a long running cooking column, The Kosher Gourmet, in The New York Jewish Week. I've also written two non-fiction books. So, I don't think I'll be trying another profession in the foreseeable future. I'm hoping to write another novel.
Have you ever experienced Imposter Syndrome?
I think I've experienced Imposter Syndrome in everything I've ever done. But now, I'm actively working on fighting it and trying to embrace all of the love, support, encouragement and enthusiasm I'm getting from friends and complete strangers for my first novel. I'm giving myself permission to enjoy this incredible journey.
What brings you greatest joy?
The pandemic has brought into sharp focus what is most important in my life -- and that is my family. My husband, three sons, three daughters-in-law (who are more like daughters) and my six grandchildren -- are my greatest blessing.
