What can a mother do to save her seven children and herself from an alcoholic, womanizing husband? Emma Schuron, the Iron Mother, made a fateful decision. She threw her husband out of the house. In the early 20th century that act alone made Emma very brave, and made her a single mother, with no job or education. She had to learn the languages of the New York streets, and how to bargain with all the merchants for her daily bread. She had only two weapons in her arsenal: her iron will, and her innate intelligence that inspired her to fight for her economic freedom. Emma battled bookies, bad guys, con men, criminals, even the Mafia to save her children and grandchildren. The iron mother not only survived, she triumphed. Through it all she never abandoned her relentless pursuit: her dream for love. Meet a cast of unforgettable characters who will come to fill the empty places in your heart. Greet all seven of Emma's children. Marie, the eldest, married a Russian priest and moved to Alberta, Canada, where a crazed Romanoff Count threatened their lives; Lilyan, last to leave home, gave up her dream of becoming a lawyer, instead married a struggling clairvoyant writer who called upon the occult for physical demonstrations that will scare and shock you to belief. You'll meet other characters: a don, a Talmudic scholar, an honest lawyer, sons-in-law who break the law by making bathtub gin, an Irish aunt with an acerbic tongue that will regale you with salacious Celtic sagas, and a cold-blooded murderer. See the Great Depression thorough the eyes of those who lived it. All these and other revealing tales are woven into the very fabric of the story, psychologically unmasking the tragic and comic. Collectively, the stories bring a deeper understanding of the conscious and unconscious forces that compel us to our decisions. Ultimately this is a book of knowledge, a primer that holds a mirror to life and helps us understand our own lives. Vices and virtues are laid bare so th