In the early 1980s, Mary Hall is a little girl growing up in poverty in New Jersey, with her older brother Jacob and parents who, in her words, were "great at making babies, but not so great at holding on to them." No longer able to care for her, Mary’s mother sends Mary away to Oklahoma to live with her maternal grandparents…
Born in a village deep in the Cambodian forest, Somaly Mam was sold into sexual slavery by her grandfather when she was twelve years old. Trapped in this dangerous and desperate world, she suffered the brutality and horrors of human trafficking—rape, torture, deprivation—until she managed to escape with the help of a French aid worker…
Filled with fascinating details about the art world and colorful real-life characters, The Bridal Chair is a stunning portrait of love, fortitude, and the sharp divide between art and real life. In Nazi-occupied Paris, Chagall’s status as a Jewish artist has made his family targets, yet his devotion to his art blinds him to their danger.
