n nWith his dying breath, Lenas father asks his family a cryptic question: You couldnt tell, could you? After his passing, Lena stumbles upon the answer that changes her life forever.n nAs her revolutionary neighbor mysteriously disappears during Josef Stalins Great Terror purges, 18-year-old Regina suspects that shes the Kremlins next target. Under cover of the night, she flees from her parents communal apartment in 1930s Moscow to the 20th centurys first Jewish state, Birobidzhan, on the border between Russia and China. Once there, Regina has to grapple with her preconceived notions of socialism and Judaism while asking herself the eternal question: What do we owe each other? How can we best help one another? While she contends with these queries and struggles to help Birobidzhan establish itself, love and war are on the horizon.n nNew York Times Bestselling author Alina Adams draws on her own experiences as a Jewish refugee from Odessa, USSR as she provides readers a rare glimpse into the worlds first Jewish Autonomous Region. My Mothers Secret is rooted in detailed research about a little known chapter of Soviet and Jewish history while exploring universal themes of identity, love, loss, war, and parenthood. Readers can expect a whirlwind journey as Regina finds herself and her courage within one of the centurys most tumultuous eras.n