Jewish American Prig

Celia, a young Jewish girl, grows up surrounded by her three spinster aunts, a mother who never stands up for her, and cruel cousins. As she approaches adolescence, Celia is haunted by experiences of childhood emotional and sexual abuse. She's confused about her sexuality-and her self-identity.

Celia eventually realizes she must leave her family far behind if she wants to forget the dysfunctional lessons they unwittingly taught her. She moves cross country to the West Coast, becoming first a children's librarian and then a social worker. And with enduring naivety, she embarks on a series of relationships leading up to her marriage to a nice, if dispassionate, Jewish man.

Throughout, Celia sees several therapists, including the woman who makes a pass at her and the handsome German gentile with whom she builds an intriguing rapport.

In midlife Celia finally reaches a place where her happiness does not originate in relationships with others.

The sometimes blunt and often tongue-in-cheek narrative of her journey from timidity to confusion to new discoveries will appeal to anyone who is traveling the difficult road toward self-actualization.