“An engaging, heartfelt story”

The character of a memory is a wistful thing, sometimes light and fluttering and other times, vibrant and powerful. This book recalls the character of memory as it paints a beautiful portrait of an immigrant child growing up in a foreign America and learning of her mother's illness -- but never being outright told about it. It recalls how neglectfully we can treat children even as we battle our own grief and denial of a loved one's decline and passing. Japha has a way with words that transport you into Julia's shoes, even if you share little with Julia, and have you experience her life as though you had been there, reminiscent (I'm not sure why exactly) of some of Twain's writing. After reading Mapping Eden, I felt like I had just taken a journey with Julia, and her trying to understand what happened to her mom and her own reaction to the events. There are no answers here, just more questions. But questions that anyone who has ever lost a loved one will recognize and feel. This is an engaging, heartfelt story worth the read.

             --John Grohol, coauthor of Self-Help That Works and founder of PsychCentral.com