Development News for Marblehead, Massachusetts

Author Discusses Family History of Trauma and Crime in "Curse of the Blumenthals"

This is a discussion about the book "Curse of the Blumenthals" by Phyllis Karas, which chronicles a 90-year history of her Jewish American family, focusing on their struggles with alcohol, a 1935 tragedy, and a 1954 murder. The author, Phyllis Karas, a former journalism professor and author of "Brutal: The Untold Story of My Life Inside Whitey Bulger's Irish Mob," details her personal journey into her family's history. She is joined by her literary agent and editor, Doug Grad, who has collaborated with her since the beginning of the pandemic. The conversation delves into the family's history, including their involvement in bootlegging during Prohibition, the devastating 1935 car accident that killed six relatives, the 1954 murder of Aura Schoenarth allegedly committed by her cousin Ronnie Blumenthal, and the subsequent impact of these events on the family through generational trauma. The discussion also touches on Ronnie's time in prison, his release, his struggles after parole, and the ongoing debate about his guilt in the murder. The book aims to demystify family secrets rather than hide them [cite: 2, 5-8, 11-13, 17-19, 20-23, 25, 35-49, 51-53, 65-67, 71-73, 75, 81-83, 106-108, 111-112, 116-128, 130-147, 151-154, 156-159, 162-173, 186-193, 197-203, 210-211, 213-216, 220-221, 223-224, 226-227, 233-235, 237-239, 241-242, 246-247, 250-251, 252-253, 258-260, 266-271, 274-278, 283-286, 288-290, 292-294, 300-303, 306-309, 310-314, 317-321, 326-329, 333-339, 349-351, 353-354, 355-358, 361-363, 366-368, 370-371, 375-381, 383-384, 386-388, 390-392, 394-397, 400-401, 403-406, 407-408, 410-411, 412-414, 416-418, 419-421, 423-424, 425-428, 430-433, 434-437, 438-441, 443-447, 449-451, 453-455, 456-460, 466-476, 480-482, 485-486, 488-491, 493-497, 498-502, 504-508, 510-513, 517-519, 522-524, 526-529, 530-532, 534-536, 539-540, 541-543, 544-547, 548-551, 553-557, 558-559, 561-563, 565-571, 573-574, 575-576, 578-580, 581-584, 586-588, 589-591, 592-594, 595-598, 600-601, 603-604, 605-607, 608-610, 611-613, 614-616, 617-619, 620-621, 623-624, 625-627, 628-631, 632-633, 634-638, 639-641, 642-644, 645-646, 647-649, 650-652, 653-655, 657-659, 660-662, 663-664, 665-666, 667-669, 670-671, 675-677, 684-686, 687-689, 690-691, 693-696, 697-699, 700-702, 703-706, 707-708, 709-711, 711-712, 713-715, 717-718, 720-721, 727-728, 730-731, 732-733, 734-736, 737-739, 740-742, 743-745, 746-747, 749-751, 753-754, 756-758, 764-766, 767-769, 770-775, 776-777, 778-779, 780-782, 783-785, 788-789, 791-792, 793-794, 797-798, 799-801, 802-803, 804-805, 806-808, 810-811, 813-814, 816-817, 818-821, 822-824, 825-828]. The event is a book discussion and author talk. [cite: 2, 9, 11, 14, 20, 35, 45, 51, 54, 65, 71, 75, 81, 106, 111, 116, 130, 155, 162, 186, 198, 205, 210, 221, 226, 233, 237, 243, 247, 252, 258, 264, 274, 283, 288, 292, 299, 303, 310, 317, 326, 333, 337, 349, 353, 355, 359, 361, 364, 366, 370, 375, 379, 381, 383, 386, 390, 394, 397, 403, 407, 410, 412, 416, 419, 424, 425, 430, 434, 438, 443, 449, 453, 456, 461, 463, 466, 471, 474, 480, 485, 488, 495, 498, 504, 510, 517, 522, 530, 534, 539, 541, 544, 548, 553, 555, 558, 561, 565, 571, 575, 578, 580, 582, 586, 589, 592, 595, 603, 605, 608, 612, 615, 617, 620, 625, 628, 632, 634, 639, 642, 645, 647, 650, 655, 657, 660, 665, 670, 675, 684, 687, 690, 692, 693, 697, 700, 703, 706, 709, 711, 713, 716, 718, 720, 727, 730, 732, 734, 737, 740, 742, 743, 746, 749, 752, 753, 756, 759, 762, 764, 767, 770, 773, 778, 786, 788, 791, 793, 796, 799, 802, 804, 806, 810, 813, 815, 818, 820].