MY VIEW FROM THE MOUNTAINS: A Catskills Memoir

by PATTI POSNER

Overview

Much has been written about the Catskill Mountains resort experience as enjoyed by untold numbers of first- and second-generation Jews who, in the early part of the 20th century, had been shut out of many other resorts because of anti-Semitism. While the hotels were indeed as wonderful as many novels and histories describe them, this book is different. It tells a sometimes piercingly honest story of the family that ran the Brickman, one of the most successful Catskills resorts. It is a tale of blood ties as strained by a sometimes ruthless business, explosive secrets, sex and drugs. But this story also is about deep familial love, hard work, commitment and a winding path to self-knowledge. Patti Posner, daughter of one of the two brothers who owned the hotel, reveals (and thus preserves) the day-to-day life and inner workings of this now vanished world of the Catskills.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798855613124
Publisher:	Barnes & Noble Press
Publication date:	09/01/2023
Pages:	190
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Patti Posner grew up in South Fallsburg, New York. She was the fourth and
final generation of the Brickman/Posner family to own the famed Catskill
resort, the Brickman Hotel.

This is Patti’s first memoir. In it she captures life as a year-round resident of
her rural community and shares what it was like to grow up in a resort hotel
as the boss’s daughter. By writing her memoir, Patti has preserved her
family’s piece of Jewish American history and life in the Catskills.

Much has been written about the Catskill Mountains resort experience as
enjoyed by untold numbers of first- and second-generation Jewish
Americans. While the hotels were indeed as wonderful as many novels and
histories describe them, there was more to them than the guests ever saw.
This book tells a piercingly honest story of the family that ran the Brickman,
one of the most successful Catskills resorts. It is a tale of blood ties
strained by a sometimes ruthless business, of explosive secrets, sex and
drugs. But this story also is about deep familial love, hard work,
commitment, and a winding path to self-knowledge. Patti grew up at the
hotel and worked there in increasingly responsible positions. In this
memoir, she reveals the day-to-day life and inner workings of this now-
vanished world of hospitality, along with the human story behind it all.

The Posners sold the hotel in 1986. Patti then moved to New Jersey where
she earned a degree in sociology. She also lived in South Florida. Patti and
her artist husband, Yossi Daboosh, now live in Western North Carolina.
They have fostered many dogs and adopted three of their rescues. Patti is
an avid tennis player and a lover of Mah Jongg. She has one daughter who
lives in Asheville, North Carolina and two stepchildren and four
grandchildren who all live on Long Island.

Editorial Reviews

I've started reading this book and I love it! Cannot wait to curl up with it every night before I go to sleep; Im drawing it out so I don't finish it too quickly as I don't want it to be over. My father's aunt and uncle ran a boarding house in the Catskills before I was born; now I know why. This book and the life/lives it describes are so interesting! It's well-written, reads like historical fiction and the family tree and photos really enhance the understanding and enjoyment.

Amazon - S Angel

Patti Posner's absorbing memoir chronicles both moving personal history and many memorable moments at her family's Hotel Brickman. One hopes for another book by Patti Posner, and perhaps eventually a film, as there are many more stories that should be told --- including more by former staff, some of which are included in the present book.

Facebook - A Kohen

Extraordinary. Patti pries open an enchanting window in the real Borscht Belt and leaves you with a heartrending and heartwarming personal story as well. You will feel like both a guest at the hotel and a member of the hotel family. Now you will hear more of the secrets only the insiders knew. "Dirty Dancing" was fiction based on many true experiences; this is nonfiction that reads with all the ease and interest of a great screenplay.

Facebook - B. Charlow