Charlene Wexler, an 81-year-old author who recently published yet another book, knows what it is to live in a man’s world.
“We listened and we did what we were told, you know, as women,” Wexler said, about growing up in the 1950s – a time when the women’s movement and the role of women were much different than today.
Strong female characters lead several of her books; she aims to provide inspiration for girls. Wexler, who lives 3 miles from the state border, in Richmond, Ill., feels connected with the Wisconsin Jewish community. Now, she hopes to introduce her books to more of Jewish Wisconsin.
Her latest book, “Farewell to South Shore,” follows a Jewish girl as she grows up in Chicago’s South Shore community in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The story spans the main character’s life amid the ever-changing women’s movement as she builds a career, home and family outside of the South Shore.
As the story progresses, the young woman encounters situations including divorce, single motherhood and abortion. Her journey “serves as a metaphor for leaving a time and culture that will never exist again,” according to a news release.
Speaking Volumes, based in Florida, published “Farewell to South Shore” on Jan. 22, 2024. Prior to working with them, Wexler self-published five of her books starting in 2010.
Wexler draws from her life to create historical fiction, but she notes that she takes liberties, saying she writes “what I might have done had I been given the choice.”
She said she enjoys writing about powerful women and takes inspiration from figures like Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
“Growing up in the ’40s, you became a Mrs., you became a wife, a teacher or a secretary,” Wexler said. “I think I’ve written a lot about what I would have liked to be had I been born in the ’60s.”
The plot of “Farewell to South Shore” includes the case of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that declared state abortion bans unconstitutional, and Wexler happened to finish writing when it was overturned in 2022. Wexler says a sequel is in the works that deals with the overturn.
Writing through tragedy
Wexler first got into writing when her son, Jeffery, was diagnosed with leukemia.
“It was five years out of our life – dealing with the cancer and the treatment,” Wexler said. “That’s when I started writing. It became my therapy.”
Jeffery died at 12 years old on Sept. 11, 1981. Wexler’s writing “for therapy” continued.
“I tried writing about him in an actual memoir, and I couldn’t do it,” she said. “But I found I could do fiction, and that if I disguised him as a girl or as someone else, it worked.”
Her book “Elephants in the Room,” a collection of short stories, reflects her efforts to cope with the loss of her son.
She has published six books. Her themes have since changed, and she has experimented with different genres, including murder mystery and historical fiction. No matter the genre, though, Wexler says writing continues to heal and bring her comfort.
Wexler’s other works include “Murder on Skid Row,” “Milk and Oranges,” “Murder Across the Ocean” and “Lori.”
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“Farewell to South Shore” by Charlene Wexler is available at Barnes & Noble and Amazon. The eBook version is also available on Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and Kobo Books.
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