An in depth and informative book on Judaism and a man’s persistent search for his family. – Alison Danz

 

A very interesting addition to my knowledge of the Seattle area history over the past century. – Norm McKibben, Owner of Pepper Bridge Winery and Amavi Cellars in Walla Walla, Washington

 

While taking readers on a fascinating journey into the Seattle area’s theatrical past, including the life, hardship, and perseverance of theater owner John Danz, the author discovers gems of this own heritage.Place this book at the top if your required reading list – Kyle McElfresh

 

Motivated by an unwavering desire to uncover the identity of his maternal grandfather, Mark Hester’s storytelling is rich with historical, familial, ancestral, and genealogical insights, all substantiated by DNA evidence. Hester unveils numerous truths about a widely regarded icon in the theatre industry, his gifted grandfather—a man who left behind numerous archival documentations of his story for his grandson to tell. – Professor Joy Scott-Carrol Ph.D., author of Running the Long Race in Gifted Education: Narratives from Culturally Diverse Gifted Adults

 

This book draws you in quickly, by bringing the real-life people and their situations into sharp focus, humanizing their stories. The narrative leads seamlessly from one situation to the next, making the reader feel as though they are reading about John Danz and others in real time. Set against the backdrop of world and local events, thoroughly researched, this novel will grab you and hold your attention. – Craig Harzinski, Co-owner, Bisbee Books and Music

 

Many of us have used commercial DNA test companies to find out more about our family origins, but for very few of us has that action started a process of research and discovery as rich as that of Mark Hester. His book details that process and the grandfather, family, and personal identity he discovered, unfolding along the way much larger contexts of these discoveries. Part biography, part personal detective story, and part a vivid history of Seattle in the first half of the twentieth century,  weaves together the lives of two men, John Danz and Hester, within a larger tapestry of immigration, entertainment, labor, Pacific Northwest, and even world history.  The result is a fascinating account of discovery that reveals to the author and reader alike how in the process of finding out more about ourselves we can also encounter deeper, unexpected connections to the history all around us. – Dr. Karen Weathermon Ph.D., Director of First-Year Programs, Washington State University​

 

Fascinating and insightful study of an amazing immigrant and film exhibitor – Professor Gary D. Rhodes, Ph.D., author of The Perils of Moviegoing in America (Bloomsbury, 2012)

​

A Sterling Life by Mark Hester is the biography of John Danz, a keen American entrepreneur born in Czarist Russia in 1877. John's birth name was Israel Danowsky. His Jewish parents, Leib and Jenni Danowsky, with their two sons, Israel and Chaim, left Russia, escaping the pogroms and oppression. They arrived in the United States in 1882 from Hamburg, Germany, through the Port of Swansea, Wales. The family members changed their names and took the surname Danz. They moved to Oregon after tending a farm in Kansas for a while. Young John worked as a newsboy and a messenger. He even helped on the farms and ranches. After working as a clerk and a porter at haberdasheries, John established
his own business in Seattle at the beginning of the twentieth century. Step by step, John rose to prominence. A Nickelodeon theater arranged at one of his stores brought unexpected changes to his business empire. Mark Hester took a DNA test and learned that he had Jewish ancestors. He started researching to find the
mysterious grandfather he knew nothing about.
A Sterling Life offers us a historically significant life account of an enterprising person who was always ready for new challenges. Mark Hester meticulously researched the facts of John Danz's life. The author also gives us an accurate historical setting, starting with John's childhood in Czarist Russia. I learned what the Pale of Settlement meant regarding the oppressed Jewish population of the Russian Empire, among other interesting and often shocking historical facts. Mark explains why John's family chose Seattle to settle in the US and how this city was connected to the gold mining in Canada and Alaska.

I was absorbed while reading about John's fight against the unions and their strikes, which took around thirteen years. Mark created a puzzling and sometimes controversial portrait of a man who never feared changes or innovations but could be strict with his children. At the same time, the author shares his personal story of exploring his Jewish heritage. I liked the touching scene on a Parisian street, where Mark met a rabbi. I highly recommend A Sterling Life to fans of historical non-fiction, biographies, and drama.

– Nino Lobiladze for Readers' Favorite

​

Your passion to find your totally unexpected Jewish heritage resulting in your intense search shines through your words to the reader. The amount of information found is impressive knowing how difficult it is when you know who you are looking for, and you didn’t. Your details of particular, uncommon situations create clear images. You describe the desperation of the family leaving a familiar home for the unknown. Your explanations of Jewish traditions also help the reader to clearly understand this family you discovered. Adding the history of what was happening in the world and the country as the family moves through life, increases depth to your story. Your determination to continue, not give up at the roadblocks, and your persistence in meeting present-day family is remarkable. This is an exciting read that will stay with me for a long time.

– Judge, 32nd Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards.