Deborah

But now that I've lived this long,

My mandate is to do something with these amazing letters.

Deborah hopes to honor Jerry by giving his writing an audience.

It occurs to me that I have an audience, and perhaps if Deborah and I read through the letters together, it would fulfill her mandate and allow her to move on.

I put the idea to Lee.

Do you think getting something out there into the world would allow her to leave Jerry Land forever?

Can you come to my apartment?

Well, I'm in Minnesota.

I wouldn't fly out where you are, but if you can come to my home, I would be eternally grateful for as long as I last.

Well, I mean, I would love to see the letters, and it would be really nice to meet you in person.

Okay, Mr. Goldstein, so come look, said the old lady to the young man.

And so, it looks like this 56-year-old young man is heading off to New York.

Because like the writing on the box says, maybe the only way out is to go through.

256 letters.

It took several weeks for my producer Phoebe and me to read them all.

Many of the letters were missing dates and locations, but we puzzled our way through, doing our best to bring chronological order.

And as we did, a life emerged, and a portrait of the young man who lived it.

We went through all 256 of the letters.

Oh, boy.

So, you know Jerry.