The Golden Willow

Harry Bernstein was born in Stockport, England on May 30, 1910. His family moved to Chicago in 1922 and he attended Lane Technical Preparatory School. After his dream of becoming an architect was dashed by an instructor, he began writing. After he graduated, he moved to New York City and published short stories in several magazines including Story and Literary America. He eventually found work as a script reader for Columbia Pictures.

In the 1950s, he tried to earn a living as a freelance writer, selling work to The Daily News, Popular Mechanics and Family Circle, but he ended up editing Home of Tomorrow, a construction trade magazine. His novel, The Smile, was published in 1981 but sold poorly. He is best known for his three memoirs: The Invisible Wall: A Love Story That Broke Barriers (2007), The Dream (2008), and The Golden Willow: The Story of a Lifetime of Love (2009). He died on June 3, 2011 at the age of 101.

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