Born July 16, 1935 in New York City, the son of an immigrant father who left his native border town of Russia and Poland to settle in the South Bronx, a rich heritage was imprinted on the young Adoff. "My father told marvellous stories of shtetl life and his early years in lower Manhattan. But in our home, as in so many others, the emphasis was on being American with a keen sense of Jewish, even though there was very little religious orientation. There was a tradition of liberal, free-thinking females in the family. My mother was involved in Zionist and civil rights causes. I recall when a black Baptist congregation reclaimed a derelict church in our neighborhood, my mother playing her violin, welcoming the new congregation.

"From an early age, women have played an extraordinarily important part in my life. I was raised by women who were extremely vital...