Sam Fox spent his whole life running against the  hands of time, from  family obligations  and military authorities, an often-fatal illness, life as an immigrant, and a tragic  accident.  

Author Roni Robbins’ novel, Hands of Gold, to be  released February  4, 2022, is a work of  fiction loosely based  on an inspiring true story. Using literary license, Robbins pulls from the original cassette tapes  left by her maternal grandfather, Sam, who survived TB,  a workplace shooting and an accidental killing, and  walked thousands of miles across several countries to flee antisemitism in pre-Nazi Europe.  

Hands of Gold follows Sam Fox across four countries,  nine decades, and five generations. It weaves together  Sam’s love affair with his “girl,” Hannah, and his immigrant adventures. From his early days as a self-centered  hustler – a character you’ll love to hate – to his travails  as family provider, Sam ultimately gains our sympathy as  he exposes the frailty of life and proves his strength as a  survivor in the face of unmistakable odds. 

Sam’s path takes him from war-torn Europe at  the turn of the 20th century through Prohibition, the  Great Depression, labor union reforms and the golden  age of radio and television in America. He’ll face a  number of financial, emotional and health challenges  along the way. Namely, he’ll contract tuberculosis,  accidentally kill a man in a trolley collision, and lose a  grown son to leukemia. 

The story begins and ends in a nursing home with  a remarkable secret, a past worth chronicling, and  a cherished treasure that was buried for years and  uncovered.  

“A natural-born survivor, skipping across borders,  changing identities, harboring secrets, Sam always  made time to relish moments of happiness, always  displaying — even when on the run, even when grieving his loved ones — a tremendous love of life,” says  Melissa Fay Greene, author of The Temple Bombing. 

Hands of Gold capitalizes on award-winning  author Roni Robbins’ 35 years as a published writer.  Currently an editor/writer for Medscape/WebMD  and previously associate editor of the Atlanta Jewish  Times/The Times of Israel, she has a seasoned history as  a staff reporter for daily and weekly newspapers and  as a freelancer for national, regional and online publications. In 2009, Hands of Gold was a quarter-finalist  for historical fiction in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel  Award contest.  

For more info and to purchase the book, visit ronirobbins.com.