This Literary Series event is part of the JCC’s Wednesdays at the JCC Special Speaker Series. The word shanda is defined as shame or disgrace in Yiddish. This book, Shanda tells the story of three generations of complicated, intense 20th-century Jews for whom the desire to fit in and the fear of public humiliation either drove their aspirations or crushed their spirit. In her deeply engaging, astonishingly candid memoir, author and activist Letty Cottin Pogrebin exposes the fiercely guarded lies and intricate coverups woven by dozens of members of her extended family. This narrative is, by turns, touching, searing, and surprisingly universal.