Helen Epstein (1) (1947–)

I came across this book quite by accident. I was cleaning out the desk of a former co-worker, and there it was. I put it on an office shelf, where it sat. And then one day while waiting for my ride home, I picked it up.

Once I finally began it, I did not want to put it down. The story was compelling, neither overly-dramatic or pedantic. It spoke of a family that lived the unspeakable,of perseverance but also of despair, and denial. Of it can't happen to me.

As I read the story of this culturally Jewish (but baptized Catholic) family's life in the lead-up to the Holocaust, I became profoundly aware of how easily people can slip from acceptance, to tolerance, to hatred, and destruction and genocide. We, humans are so very good at hatred.

This story's, written over 15 years, is more relevant now then when it was written. And that makes me profoundly frightened and sad.… (more)

Very interesting stories of the children of Holocaust survivors. The author tries to find a common thread running through these children. Almost all of the children represented the only family for the survivors as all of the other relatives had been killed in the Holocaust. This created difficulties and high expectations on the part of the parents for the children. Holocaust survivors tended to stay in tight groups with other survivors and marry other survivors because of the shared experience that could not be imagined by anyone else. Many refused to speak of their experiences, creating anxiety in the children. Good sociological study presented in a readable format.… (more)