Ms. Kaufman, born as Bella, in Berlin, Germany to Russian immigrants.
The family returned to Russia where her father became a physician and her mother wrote books under the name Lala Kaufman.
The famous Yiddish writer Sholem Aleichem is Ms. Kaufman’s grandfather.
In 1922 the Kaufman family emigrated to the United States, where her father practiced medicine in Newark, NJ.
Because she couldn’t speak English, the 12 year old Bella was placed with first graders at the public school, however she credits the teacher who helped her learn English in elementary school for her love of English Literature. Putting a 12 year old with first grade students is a disgraceful and distasteful act which could have had a devastating lifetime effect (not a fact, just my take).
Ms. Kaufman worked as a high school teach in New York City while writing part-time under the nom de plume “Bel” Kaufman.
The author’s first novel, Up the Down Staircase (1964) told the story of…. an idealistic young English teacher, working in a New York City high school, and the gritty realities of the job. Not surprisingly, it was based on Ms. Kaufman’s experiences.
Zohar – Man of la Book
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Fun Facts Friday: Bel Kaufman
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Bel Kaufman (10 May, 1911 – 25 July, 2014) was an American author and educator known for her novel Up the Down Staircase (1964).
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Man of la Book
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Man of la Book - A Bookish Blog
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Man of la Book
A father, husband, avid reader, blogger, software engineer & wood worker who is known the world over as a man of many interests and to his wife as “an idiot”.