Yglesias was the youngest of seven children born to Solomon and Kate Bassine, both Yiddish-speaking immigrants from the Russian-controlled portion of Poland who lived in an apartment in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.
The book was never published, however, and, after high school, she worked at jobs selling underwear, stuffing envelopes, teaching ballroom dancing, and typing manuscripts.
[1] Helen Yglesias was on the staff of The Daily Worker during the 1940s where she wrote books reviews and edited the cultural section of the paper.
According to the New York Times, it delved into "the roots of American radicalism, the story evolves into an account of one woman's struggle with cancer and the disorganized attempts of her family and friends to help her.
"[1] Arguably Yglesias' most famous work is Sweetsir (1981), a story about a man who was known for his womanizing traits and his cruelty toward his five wives.