The Gift of Rudy is a memoir about a contemporary woman's journey of discovery through the life and music of her father's uncle, a young violinist who died in a tragic plane crash in Lake Michigan during the 1933 Chicago World's Fair. For more than 25 years, Sharon Ruchman, a well-known, classically-trained pianist, traced the life of Rudy Fuchs, a musical prodigy whose life would have a major bearing on her own career as a musician.