About the Book
How do survivors of genocide come to terms with the horrors they witnessed and experienced? Do they become shells of what they had been, or do they find meaningful ways of re-establishing their lives and move forward productively?
In this book, part memoir and part historical novel, the life trajectory of several Shoah survivors is described, including the author’s parents, sister, aunt, uncle, cousins, and family friends. Some were able to survive by leaving subjugated countries before the Nazis could imprison them, others were able to hide in forests or in the homes of Righteous Christians, and a few others somehow survived the terror of the concentration camps.
The book focuses on issues that bring out the best and worst of people, and of governments and their agencies that too often did little to rescue Jews or to mete out punishments even to those who committed the most heinous atrocities.
Most of the author’s family, including grandparents, brothers, and sisters did not survive, but parts of their stories are told in this book. The lives of survivors prior to and during the Shoah is described as are their post-Shoah experiences that allowed them to reclaim their identities and begin anew.
About the Author :
Hymie Anisman received his PhD in 1972 (University of Waterloo), and has been a Professor at Carleton University, Ottawa, since that time. Professor Anisman was a Senior Ontario Mental Health Research Fellow (1999-2006), held a Canada Research Chair in Neuroscience, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. The principle theme of his research has concerned the influence of stressors on neurochemical and neuroendocrine systems, and how these influence psychological (anxiety, depression) and immune-related disorders. His work has spanned animal models to assess stress-related pathology as well as studies in humans to assess stress, coping and appraisal processes. In this regard, he has assessed the impact of chronic strain emanating from discrimination and stigmatization on anxiety, depression, and PTSD among refugees from war-torn regions, and health consequences among Indigenous groups that suffered childhood traumatization, distress associated with abusive relationships, as well as the transmission of trauma effects across generations. Aside from examining diverse vulnerability factors that foster illnesses, his research has also focused on identifying factors that promote resilience in the face of trauma. Professor Anisman has published more than 400 peer-reviewed journal papers and book chapters, two edited books dealing with stress processes and psychoneuroimmunology, and five books concerning stress and health.
Review :
If you read only one memoir addressing the Holocaust and victim resilience in the face of unspeakable horror, this should be the one. Hymie Anisman's account of the Holocaust experience from its victims' point of view [...] is absolutely riveting. These historical events come alive with descriptions of the ordeal as experienced by individual family members who did not survive the Nazi regime, as well as those who did miraculously survive, some of whom dedicated themselves to ensuring we never forget how authoritarianism can take hold and ultimately destroy millions. This compelling memoir builds on Anisman's own research in neuroscience that has sought to improve understanding of post-traumatic stress disorder and illuminate how intergenerational transmission of vulnerability in descendants of survivors may occur. This is a unique mixture of science and history, delivered using a first-person narrative. [...] By guiding us through the Holocaust and its aftermath, Anisman tackles the big existential questions, without supplying easy or trite answers...
– Nyla Branscombe, University Distinguished Professor, University of Kansas
This is not a comfortable read - but it is a compelling one, refocusing on historical and personal events of the Holocaust through the lens of survival - who, how, and most elusively (and critically) why. Anisman selects the events told here bravely, wisely, and compassionately - from the legacy with which he has been so painfully gifted. The book presents the events not just in their terrifying immediacy but also through the reflections of those affected, as they try to make some sense and to find some meaning...
– Aviva Freedman, Professor Emeritus, Carleton University, Ottawa
Professor Anisman has given voice to a panoply of survivor narratives, each more vivid than the next. The Shoah shadows and colors the lives woven together through fiction, memoir and genuine historical context. [...] Among works written by second generation authors, this book excels with fulsome characters who do not shy away from the difficulties of starting afresh after the Holocaust.
– Vera Schwarcz, Mansfield Freeman Professor of East Asian Studies, Emerita Professor, Wesleyan University, Connecticut
Many books have enriched our understanding of the horrors of the Holocaust through tragic personal testimony and probing historical analysis. Anisman's book adds to this important body of writing but does so in a uniquely powerful way. This is because as well as being the son of a Holocaust survivor whose family died at the hands of the Nazis, Anisman is also a world-leading neuroscientist. He draws on both identities to drill deeply into questions not only about the worst of human nature but also about the human capacity for resilience. This gives the book an unparalleled breadth of relevance that enriches our understanding of the past and, in the process, provides answers to some of the most pressing issues of our time. So while the reader will read and weep they will also read and grow.
– Alex Haslam, UQ Laureate Fellow, Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, Brisbane
