Rick and Trina were ordinary children of Jewish immigrant families in extraordinary times. They came of age while the world burned, first in the Depression and then in the Second World War. Rick endured cruelty from his mother and brother allegedly because of his stammer, and then was drafted into the Army. Trina was bullied for being fat, and her father required her to drop out of college to return to the family farm to take care of her mother. They found each after the War, fell in love, and stayed happily married for almost sixty five years.

"Why Can't We Get Along? The Pieces Always Fit" is the story of a successful marriage with "successful" written in small letters. Neither Rick nor Trina won a Nobel Prize or appeared on the cover of "Time" Magazine; they were "just" part of the American middle class. Their accomplishments and their stories were taken for granted by their own children, Karen and Sandra. And those daughters just could not understand why their father, who was liked by many, was despised by his own mother, brother, and son-in-law.

After Rick's death, the daughters prepare for the estate sale in their parents' house and reminisce over some of the many stories their parents told and retold, spanning several generations. They look for clues in the stories to understand why three of the people who should have been closest to their father hated him so much. They "connect the dots" separated by generations to deduce why their family followed its particular path and come to terms with some of the Jew/Gentile and Black/White paradigms. They grapple with the social currents of the twentieth century that continue to shape perspective and touch their family in the twenty-first century: race, ethnicity, sibling rivalry, and abusive family relationships.

Karen and Sandra eventually discover their parents' secrets. The story is a time capsule, preserving the tales their parents had repeated endlessly but which were largely discounted or ignored. It reminds us that we never know why protagonists and antagonists do what they do until we understand their perspective. And it is perspective that explains why intelligent witnesses to the same event may arrive at opposite conclusions.

The conflicts in the story span decades and, true to life, some of them get resolved and some of them do not. The mortality of the protagonists calls into question whether the conflicts were worth the aggravation. "Why Can't We Get Along? The Pieces Always Fit" is part "The Greatest Generation," part "Chesapeake," and part "how to deal with all the characters in one's life". Readers will want to call their parents and tell them "I love you"...or..."I'm sorry"... or both.

About the Author

Ross Eichberg has been a partner in two of Washington, DC's top law firms (Patton Boggs, LLP, and Nixon Peabody, LLP) where he focused on representing US and international clients in commercial real estate transactions. He has represented a wide range of clients from sovereign wealth funds to oil and gas family offices to global media companies and is presently general counsel to one of the largest high complexity laboratories in the country. He graduated from Duke University magna cum laude and the University of Virginia School of Law.

Ross is also a lifelong sailor who practices law to support his maritime hobby and his observations of the human condition. He lives with his wife and daughter on an island in the Chesapeake Bay with their two cats and Labrador retriever. Ross' two sons have left the nest and he hopes he has imbued in them his love of nature and especially the sea.

Ross is an occasional diarist and essayist, but "Why Can't We Get Along? The Pieces Always Fit" is his first novel. "I wanted to offer an homage to my parents' generation," he explains. "They put their lives on hold to confront the greatest evil imaginable. I wanted to depict them as real, multi-dimensional people coping with all the problems of real families instead of as stereotypical icons of the 1940s or in their current familiar roles as grandparents and great-grandparents. Most importantly, I wanted readers to look at the world through the eyes of these characters before passing judgment on them. Although the characters, dialogue and events in the book are all fictitious, the themes of love, respect, perspective and 'try to get along' are sincere and that's what this book is all about."

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Store Description

In business since 2003, we are committed to customer satisfaction.

Visit Seller's Storefront

Seller's business information

PLUMCIRCLE, LLC
4633 Buttermilk Hollow Road, West Mifflin, PA, 15122, U.S.A.

Sale & Shipping Terms

Terms of Sale

Your satisfaction is guaranteed. If you are unsatisfied for any reason with your purchase, please contact us using the "Ask the bookseller a question" link. Thank you.

Right of cancellation

If you are a consumer you can cancel the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.

INFORMATION REGARDING THE RIGHT OF CANCELLATION

Statutory Right to cancel

You have the right to cancel this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.

The cancellation period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the the last good or the last lot or piece.

To exercise the right to cancel, you must inform us, PlumCircle, 1443 Regency Drive, 15025, Clairton, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., 1 412-974-1502, of your decision to cancel this contract by a clear statement (e.g. a letter sent by post, fax or e-mail). You may use the attached model cancellation form, but it is not obligatory. You can also electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". If you use this option, we will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a cancellation on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.

To meet the cancellation deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right to cancel before the cancellation period has expired.

Effects of cancellation

If you cancel this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).

We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.

We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to cancel with contract.

We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.

We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.

You shall send back the goods or hand them over to us or PlumCircle, 4633 Buttermilk Hollow Road, 15122, West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., 1 412-974-1502, without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your cancellation from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.

Exceptions to the right of cancellation

The right of cancellation does not apply to:

the delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
the supply of digital content (including ebooks) which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not cancel it once delivery had started.

Model withdrawal form

(complete and return this form only if you wish to withdraw from the contract)

To: (PlumCircle, 1443 Regency Drive, 15025, Clairton, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., 1 412-974-1502)

I/We (*) hereby give notice that I/We (*) withdraw from my/our (*) contract of sale of the following goods (*)/for the provision of the following goods (*)/for the provision of the following service (*),

Ordered on (*)/received on (*)

Name of consumer(s)

Address of consumer(s)

Signature of consumer(s) (only if this form is notified on paper)

Date

* Delete as appropriate.

Shipping Terms

Your order will leave our facility within two business days via the method you select. Expect domestic orders within 7 - 14 business days of order. Expect international orders within 3 - 6 weeks of order.

Shipping rates within U.S.A.

Shipping rates within U.S.A.
Order quantity	5 to 14 business days	3 to 6 business days
First item	� 3.67	� 8.07

Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.