Lost in YonkersPaperback, 1 January 1993

What happens to children in the absence of love? That is the question that lies at the heart of this funny and heartrending play by one of America's most acclaimed and beloved playwrights. Winner of four Tony Awards, including Best Play, and the Pulitzer Prize, "Lost in Yonkers" is Neil Simon's moving drama about the cruelties and painful memories that scar a family. It is New York, 1942. After the death of their mother, two young brothers are sent to stay with their formidable grandmother for the longest ten months of their lives. For Grandmother Kumitz is a one-woman German front - a refugee and a widow who has steeled her heart against the world. Her coldness and intolerance have crippled her own children: the boys' father has no self esteem...their Aunt Gert has an embrassing speech impediment...their Uncle Louie is a small-time gangster...and their Aunt Bella has the mentality of a child. But it is Bella's hunger for affection and her refusal to be denied love that saves the boys - that leads to an unforgettable, wrenching confrontation with her mother. Filled with laughter, tears, and insight, "Lost in Yonkers" is yet another heartwarming testament to Neil Simon's talent.