Drawn to an image of her great-grandfather’s ornately carved cane, Harvard professor Elisa New embarked on a journey to discover the origins of her precious family heirloom. Tracing the paths of her ancestors over 5 generations, she traveled from Baltimore to Lithuania to London in order to find and understand a Jewish immigrant world that was profoundly affected by the enlightenment, industrialization and German culture. The memoir captures the rich texture of life on several continents as the family established itself in the tobacco trade. Jacob’s Cane was published by Basic Books in September, 2009. Copies will be available for purchase and signing following the program.

Elisa New is Professor of English and American literature and language at Harvard University. Her publications include The Line's Eye: Poetic Experience, American Sight (1999) and The Regenerate Lyric: Theology and Innovation in American Poetry (1993). She earned her bachelor’s at Brandeis University and her master’s and doctorate from Columbia University.