By Maddie Dulle—
On Thursday, October 20, the community gathered in Parrish Auditorium at Miami’s Hamilton
Campus to attend a keynote lecture by Catherine Grace Katz on her book “The Daughters of
Yalta,” this year’s selection for Hamilton’s One City, One Book public reading program.
Thanks to the One City, One Book program, the Michael J. Colligan History Project, and the
Colligan Committee of the Hamilton Community Foundation, this free event allowed those in
attendance to learn more about the historical moment that the book features, as well as the
author’s own motivation for writing it.
Catherine Grace Katz, historian and first-time author, expressed her gratitude for having the
opportunity to speak before beginning the lecture on the background of three of the most
prominent participants of the Yalta Conference: Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and
Averell Harriman.
During the hour-long lecture, Katz kept the audience engaged by including photos to aid her
storytelling. In one particular photo, she pointed out how the daughters of Churchill, Roosevelt,
and Harriman weren’t seen until the same moment was captured from a different angle.
“The picture made me start to think: Of all people these leaders could have brought with them to
serve as their aids at Yalta, what was so special about the abilities and experiences of their
daughters that made them the perfect partners to be at their side in this transformative moment in
history?” Katz said.
From there, Katz did a fantastic job of detailing the relationships between Sarah Churchill, Anna
Roosevelt, and Kathleen Harriman and their respective fathers. She highlights exactly what made
each of the daughters the “perfect partners,” as she called them.
Once done, the audience was encouraged to ask questions, both about the book and the history
she just discussed. With each question, Katz demonstrated just how knowledgeable she is on the
subject by giving even more detailed information than what was covered during the speech.
After the lecture and the audience question and answer session had concluded, guests were able
to wait in line to personally meet the author and have their copies of “The Daughters of Yalta”
signed. For those who didn’t own one, copies were available for purchase as well, and during all
of this, Katz remained extremely personable with audience members, and seemed grateful for the
chance to meet her readers.