40:27

In this CJ Moneyway Show episode, award‑winning journalist and author Roni (Ronnie) Robbins discusses his novel Hands of Gold, a fictionalized multi‑generational saga based on his grandfather’s real life. Robbins explains how cassette‑tape recordings of his grandfather’s experiences inspired him to preserve family legacy, and how he transformed those oral histories into a novel that weaves together the Holocaust, a tuberculosis clinical trial, and the immigrant pursuit of freedom. He details his research methods—visiting the National Archives, using microfilm, and consulting the LDS Family History Center—to reconstruct a story spanning four countries and nine decades. Robbins describes the 20‑year writing process, balancing parenting and freelance journalism, and how winning the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award in 2009 validated the manuscript, leading to multiple awards and placement in the US Holocaust Museum gift shop. The conversation connects the book’s themes of resilience, hate, and perseverance to current global conflicts and rising anti‑Semitism, emphasizing that history repeats itself. Robbins shares audience reactions, the personal impact on his extended family, memorable moments from his journalism career, and offers advice to aspiring writers: write constantly, build networks, and never give up. The episode concludes with promotion details for the book and Robbins’ online presence. Sponsor messages from Progressive, Talkspace, reMarkable, and Smoothie King are interspersed throughout.

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