Born after all of her grandparents had passed away, Beth Hersh Goldsmith always felt she had missed out on hearing the rich tales of her family's previous generations. Grateful for her full and fulfilling life, she felt determined to share her own stories. In One Degree of Separation she recounts her eventful childhood in Charlotte, North Carolina, suburban Chicago, San Diego, and Beverly Hills. She tells of remarkable and surprising encounters with friends, relatives, and strangers in places as far-flung as Jerusalem, Soviet-era Leningrad, London, and Bulgaria. She shares the lessons of a rewarding career running nonprofits while raising a beautiful family. Most of all, she shows us the value of forging deep, human bonds with everyone from corporate CEOs to car mechanics, from nurses to neighbors to nannies. As Beth puts it, "Making these connections makes life meaningful."