Richard Rothman never knew his grandfather, who left behind a wife and young daughter to fight-and die-in the Spanish Civil War. What drove a young, idealistic New Yorker with everything to live for to leave it all behind? This lucid investigation into a family history will explore the social idealism and selfless passions that drew the author's grandfather into the Communist Party and, in 1937, onto the bloody front lines in Spain. But his search will also reveal the darker truths behind treasured family lore, as Rothman discovers how fervent idealism blinded not only his grandfather, but also other family members to ugly realities of the movement to which they devoted their lives.

Written with compassion and insight, Finding Ruby takes the reader on a journey from the trenches in the Spanish Civil War to the courtrooms of the segregated South in the epic case of the Scottsboro Boys, which helped launch the Civil Rights movement.

This deeply personal story sheds light on not only one family, but an entire swathe of American history.