Addie Baum was born in 1900 to immigrant parents who were unprepared for and suspicious of America. Growing up in Boston, Addie's intelligence and curiosity take her to a world her parents can't imagine: a world of short skirts and new opportunities for women. From the one-room apartment she shared with her family, to the library group for girls she joins, to her first, disastrous love affair, Addie recalls her adventures with compassion for the naive girl she was and a wicked sense of humor.