Sophie's Secret

About the Book

Book Summary Sophie’s Secret is a memoir about a 10-year old girl and her mother gambling their future to emigrate from a fishing village in Denmark to San Francisco in hopes of finding the man who left them 10 years ago to chase the California Gold Rush. Their decision to risk all they had for the land of opportunity is the story of many Scandinavian families during the 1800s. But to the author’s surprise, she finds that their remarkable rags to riches story – passed down through family folklore – is based upon falsehoods and half-truths.

About the Author

Helen Redford Hasselman is a third generation San Francisco/Bay Area native. She has a degree in history from the University of California, Berkeley and lives with her architect husband in Orinda, California. Her extensive research for Sophie’s Secret was culled from family documents, firsthand historic accounts, and archival searches performed locally and internationally. She visited the town of Assens, Denmark where her relatives lived for generations as laborers and sailors, and toured a family home still standing after more than 180 years