Montclair Native’s Debut Book Features Town As Setting

MONTCLAIR, NJ — A former Montclair resident who grew up in the township during the 1950s and 60s has released her debut novel, and her hometown plays a big role in it.

According to the author, Lisa Blumberg, she taps into scenes directly from the streets and sights of Montclair for her book, “Righting the Hourglass.”

Check out the book here.

While much of Blumberg’s professional life has been spent as an in-house corporate attorney – she graduated from Wellesley College and Harvard Law School – she’s no stranger to the written word, having authored pieces on medical ethics and disability rights topics as well as an article on the historical basis of “Little House” books.by Laura Ingalls Wilder. In addition, a letter that she wrote while at Edgemont to Jacqueline Kennedy after John F. Kennedy’s assassination was included in the bestseller “Letters to Jackie,” edited by Ellen Fitzpatrick.

Here’s how Blumberg describes her book and its Montclair connections:

“‘Righting the Hourglass’ spans 70 years in the life of a family and takes place in England, East Africa, New York and New Jersey. The main character explains the choice of living in Montclair by stating, ‘It was a well-established town rather than a bedroom community. It had racial and ethnic diversity, which was important to us. The schools were quite good. The iris garden was renowned.’ Streets mentioned in the book include Erwin Park Road, Valley Road, Macoupin Avenue and Highland Avenue. A nod is also given to Edgemont Park and Edgemont School which Lisa Blumberg, her three brothers and her mother Janet Mitchell Blumberg all attended.”

Don’t forget to visit the Patch Montclair Facebook page. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com