Ariana Neumann

The author’s father kept his life in Czechoslovakia secret from her, identifying himself as Venezuelan. When she learned from a complete stranger in college that her name was Jewish, she was shocked. With very few hints from her father, and a box he left her when he died bearing little information, she went on a search for how he came to be in Venezuela. This book is about her genealogical search, and her father’s and his family’s story during WWII. The prologue felt like I was about show more to read the author’s memoir, but it really settles into most specifically her father’s story and his family. It is very deeply researched and to the extent she could, she provided immense detail in a way that shed light on what life was like trying to survive Nazi occupation and concentration camp as a Jew. It was always revealing—always making the reader think: how would I survive this? The narrator was perfect for the audiobook. Her voice was calm and appropriate throughout the story. I’m also glad I checked out the ebook from the library at the same time because it has photos. A highly recommended read for both its apt approach to telling about a genealogical search and of course, describing a life of fear and survival in Nazi-occupied Prague. show less

I love this author’s writing style. I love the humor. It took me a while to get into the narrative but once I did I enjoyed the story/stories. I loved the passages written by her father, Hans. They were incredibly powerful and completely riveting!!!

This is the kind of genealogical research I wish I could have done. I’m in awe.

The author has a lot materials from so many different parts of her family and others. There is a voluminous collection of photos of people and photos of documents show more and other pictures and many images really enhanced the storytelling. I appreciated all the evidence presented. There is a helpful family tree and map included too! A list of discussion questions were also in my edition.

At first there was a lot about her life, which was interesting, but I felt distant from her father and the others (maybe because when she started she knew virtually nothing about their pasts) but the more I read about the people alive during WWII in Nazi occupied areas the more engaged I became. It took me some time but I grew to know about and deeply care about these people.

I found it interesting that she was doing gung ho research and had wanted to be a detective when she was a kid, but she seemed so uncurious and naïve and ignorant about historical events until she eventually started her inquiries.

This Holocaust narrative stands out because of the author’s father hiding in plain sight with an assumed non-Jewish identity in Berlin for two years during WWII and also because so many family members’ relationships, lives, and fates are revealed. It’s an extraordinary narrative. I also found it interesting and not surprising how so many of the survivors felt lifelong impact from the trauma they’d experienced. What was unexpected was how so many of them were able to flourish and be successful anyway.
This author writes beautifully and this is a quotable book. Here is just one phrase that I appreciate. “Memories, like misfiled documents, are not always where you expect to find them...I learned that detailed questions often did little to trigger specific memories. People returned to distant facts in roundabout ways, along their own winding paths, which seemed more mapped by emotion than by logic.”

ETA: I want to add the other quote I "liked" in my quotes: “Perhaps all remembrance is a process of compilation and creation. Every day we absorb what is around us and assemble observations of a specific time: sounds, smells, textures, words, images, and feelings. Of course, we prioritize and edit as we go, subjective witnesses to our own lives, providing recollections that are often biased and incomplete.” show less

This was such a well written family story and world history in one. Ariana Neuman takes her Father's mysterious life on as a mystery like she'd been looking for as a child interested in being a sleuth. Growing up in Argentina with her Father, she'd known that something in his past caused him great pain, but other than to see a few glimpses of his pain, her Father would never discuss what it was to cause the nightmares and silence of his story. When he died he left a box of carefully show more organised documents, letters, and pictures for her to finally look into his secrets. As she researches, she not only comes upon his life in Czechoslovakia as a Jew during the Nazi Regime, but his whole network of family and friends, many who did not survive. The journey she was on wasn't fast, as she had a life of raising children and the stories she found were not easy ones to know. show less

This was a really good look at one family’s experience of the Holocaust. I often find Holocaust books difficult to read, as I’m sure everyone does, but despite the truly tragic occurrences in the book, its overall tale of survival and remembrance make it stand out. The incredible risks people take, often for friends and family, give a lift to the spirit. There are also details about day to day life during the war, and first person narrative like letters and documents that make this an show more especially effective book. show less